The Nigeria Police Force, Kaduna state Command has denied reports claiming unidentified gunmen killed 16 travelers along the Abuja-Kaduna highway on Thursday, December 10.
A statement released by the spokesperson of the 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 attacks.
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 0120hrs 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 driven by one Malam Mohammadu Baban Yau’m’ of Danbatta LGA of Kano State. The Bus is conveying nineteen (19) passengers from Kano state heading to Abuja on a business trip. However on reaching Alcon Filing Station Opposite Dr.Ibrahim Jalo House Rigachukun Igabi LGA, Kaduna. That the Driver lost control of the Vehicle, summersaulted and fell into a Ditch as a result of which nine (9) passengers died on the spot while ten (10) others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The victims were immediately rushed to St. Gerard’s Hospital Kakuri, Kaduna where seven (7) additional passengers unfortunately gave up the ghost while receiving medical attention bringing the number of causalities to sixteen (16) while three persons survived and undergoing treatment.
The Command expresses its deepest condolences to the Government and good people of Kano state on the unfortunate incident and pray that may 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 news the shocking incident with empathy but needed to make the clarifications on the matters bothering on National security to allay the fears and apprehension 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 in the general public and our media partners 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.”