A catastrophic incident early Saturday morning on the Benin-Auchi highway has claimed 12 lives.
A Toyota Hiace bus, en route from Zuba in the FCT to Benin, collided head-on with a truck near the Igueoviobo community—close to an army checkpoint—around 5 a.m., setting the bus ablaze.
Cyril Mathew, Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), confirmed the details of the crash. He explained that the bus struck an oncoming truck while traveling toward Auchi.
In his account, he stated: “The entire occupants of the bus were killed in the crash.
“The accident likely resulted from fatigue, as the driver may have dozed off, leading to the collision,” he said.
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Following the collision, the force of the impact immediately ignited a fire that engulfed the bus, leaving no opportunity to rescue the victims. FRSC officials managed to identify the deceased using the vehicle’s manifest and have already reached out to the families of those lost. In a fortunate turn amid the tragedy, the truck driver and his assistant—fondly known as “Motor Boy”—escaped without injury.
The FRSC commander reiterated a strong warning to drivers, urging them to take regular breaks during long journeys to avoid fatigue and prevent similar disasters.
Source: Ripples