A wave of protests has erupted at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) after a fatal road accident claimed the lives of seven students and a shuttle bus driver. The accident, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, involved an articulated truck carrying wood and jerrycans of palm oil that lost control and rammed into a school shuttle bus filled with students.
Eyewitnesses reported that the truck, moving at high speed, crushed the bus completely just as it was set to convey students to school. “The impact was devastating,” a student recounted.
Grieving and enraged by the tragic loss, students took to the streets in a large-scale demonstration that began on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday morning. They are demanding urgent government action, including restricting heavy-duty trucks from operating during the daytime to prevent further casualties.
Protesters gathered at the university gate, chanting slogans and calling for improved road safety measures around the institution.
In response to the public outcry, Kogi State Deputy Governor visited the university entrance on Wednesday to sympathize with the grieving students and the university community.
Emergency responders, including the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), rushed to the scene to rescue trapped victims. Kogi State FRSC Sector Commander, Samuel Oyedeji, stated that while the exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed, several bodies had been deposited at the morgue, and injured victims were receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, and the Kogi State Specialist Hospital.
