Gunmen didn’t kill 16 people on Abuja-Kaduna highway – Police explain what happened
The Kaduna state Police command has denied reports claiming that unidentified gunmen killed 16 travellers along the Abuja-Kaduna highway on Thursday, December 10.
CRIMECHANNELS learnt that, a statement released by the Spokesperson of the Kaduna Police command, Mohammed Jalige, says contrary to reports, the deceased persons died in a fatal accident on December 8 and not as a result of gun shots.
The statement reads, “The attention of the Kaduna State Police Command has been drawn to a misleading Publication by one Murtala Adewale Kano, going round on social media via Guardian online newspaper of 10th December 2020 titled ‘Gunmen kill 16 Travellers on Abuja-Kaduna highway’. The reporter made reference to a press statement purportedly made available to Journalist by one Abba Anwar, Chief Press Secretary to Governor of Kano State.”
“The Command wishes to categorically debunk the news making round in its entirety and set the record straight and make clarifications to what actually happened as follows; that on 8th December, 2020 at about 1:20am, there was a lone fatal motor vehicle accident along Kaduna-Zaria expressway involving a hummer bus belonging to Yasalam Transport with Reg.No FGE 553 ZS, and driven by one Malam Mohammadu Baban of Danbatta LGA, Kano State.”
“The bus was conveying 19 passengers from Kano state and heading to Abuja. However on reaching Alcon Filing Station Opposite Dr.Ibrahim Jalo House Rigachukun Igabi LGA, Kaduna, the Driver lost control of the Vehicle, summersaulted and fell into a ditc. As a result of which 9 passengers died on the spot while 10 others sustained various degrees of injuries.”
“The victims were immediately rushed to St. Gerard’s Hospital Kakuri, Kaduna, where 7 additional passengers unfortunately gave up the ghost while receiving medical attention bringing the number of causalities to 16 while 3 persons survived and are undergoing treatment.”
“The Command expresses its deepest condolences to the Government and good people of Kano state on the unfortunate incident and pray that God in his infinite mercy repose the souls of the deceased and give their immediate family the fortitude to bear the irreparable lost. It is with deepest sense of responsibility that the Command is responding to the misinformation making round in public domain attributing the unfortunate incident to killing by unknown gunmen.”
“The Command by this release, states the facts as it happened and implore the general public to discontinue the attribution of this painful loss of life to banditry, as its received the shocking incident with empathy but needed to make the clarifications on the matters bothering on National security to allay the fears and apprehension of the misleading information must have put in the minds of people and road users.”
“Going by the correction of the misleading information and the facts deduced from this release, the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna Command, CP Umar M Muri is once again calling on the general public and media houses in particular to always follow the ethics of their noble profession in the interest of the nation corroborating any security information from the relevant and approved protocol to avoid being caught in the wave of spreading unsubstantiated reports as the consequence of doing so is very dare.”
