Truck Crushes Schoolgirls In Ilorin

A water tanker yesterday killed two schoolgirls and injured two others at Ipata Market area of Ilorin, Kwara State. Unconfirmed reports claimed that the victims were JSS 1 students of Government Day Girls Secondary School, Oke Suna, Ilorin, the state capital.

They were said to have been sent on an errand to the markt by one of their teachers. Ipata Market is located around the school. It was learnt that the incident, which occurred about 11a.m., was caused by brake failure.

The truck rammed into the schoolgirls who were walking on the road leading to the market. According to witnesses, said one of the children died immediately, while the second one later gave up the ghost while being attended to by passers-by at the scene.

They added that the other two others, who sustained serious injuries, were rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH). The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Sunday Maku, said investigations had commenced on the accident. Moved by the sight of the accident, youths around the area embarked on a spontaneous protest during which they damaged some vehicles.

Meanwhile, Governor, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State yesterday condoled with his Kano counterpart, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on the death of eight students of Kano origin in an accident which occurred around Iroko village on Oyo Road on Tuesday.

Ajimobi described the incident as highly depressing to him and the people of the state. In the auto crash where the driver also died, sixteen students and their teachers were returning to Kano after representing the state in a quiz competition in Lagos.

Seven of the students were said to have died on the spot, while one out of the nine rescued from the scene, was said to have died a few hours after arriving at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Ajimobi had visited the eight surviving victims of the accident at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the UCH, where he offered to pick their bills until they were discharged from the hospital.

He was received by the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Temitope Alonge, and the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim, who was said to have arrived in Oyo State on an aircraft to convey the bodies to Kano for burial.

Ajimobi said: “This is most unfortunate and depressing to me and the good people of Oyo State. My heartfelt sympathy goes to the governor of Kano State, parents and the loved ones of the dead students and other victims. May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace.”