Three individuals lost their lives on Monday and several others sustained injuries following a tragic accident involving a trailer carrying sacks of onions and pepper at the Tipper Garage Junction along the Dutse-Bwari Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The crash occurred just two days after a similar trailer accident in the same vicinity claimed more than 10 lives on Saturday evening.
An eyewitness, Ismaila Hussein, a clothing vendor at the junction, recounted that the trailer was descending from Bwari town when its brakes failed near Usuman Dam.
The incident happened around 11:55 a.m., killing two trailer occupants and a bystander, who was struck by a Prado Jeep that had been hit by the out-of-control trailer.
“I was on a call with a customer when I noticed the trailer speeding downhill, sounding its horn non-stop. It became clear another brake failure had occurred,” Hussein explained. “Luckily, there weren’t many vehicles on the road. The trailer crashed into a Prado Jeep, which then collided with a tricycle and fatally hit a bystander. The victim’s body was pulled from under the vehicle.”
Another witness, Mrs. Glory Emeka, a Point of Sale operator, called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to urgently address the frequent accidents at the junction, expressing fear for residents’ safety.
“Crossing this junction has become a nightmare. We live in constant fear of these trailers from Bwari. The minister needs to intervene before more lives are lost,” she said.
Authorities from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) responded swiftly, transporting the deceased to a morgue and moving the injured victims to a nearby hospital for treatment.