Eyewitnesses told Sunday Tribune that the accident which involved a bullion van with registration number GGE 256 AR, as well as a Police Hilux vehicle and Hiace Toyota bus with registration number NS 36A26, belonging to Nasarawa Express, occurred on Friday evening at Wagan village, a few metres before Nasarawa-Eggon.
It was learnt further that 10 others sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) in Lafia, the state capital.
Investigations by Sunday Tribune revealed that the incident happened as a result of dangerous and reckless overtaking by the commercial driver who had a head-on collision with the police vehicle, resulting in the death of eight passengers and four policemen instantly.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ismaila Numan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who confirmed the accident, on Saturday, at the Police Officers' Mess, Lafia, however, said only one policeman and three passengers died in the accident, while seven were hospitalised.
According to him, "the said accident involved four police officers, but only one died. Three others who sustained injuries were rushed to a Specialist hospital here in Lafia, and as I am speaking now, two persons have been discharged today. So, we have only one officer at the hospital now".
In another development, gunmen on Saturday shot dead a staff of the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mr Baba Seriki-Sanu, who was on his way to Ilorin for a screening exercise.
It was gathered that Seriki-Sanu, the Treasurer of the Kaiama Emirate Council was in a bus with other colleagues when they were attacked between Kaiama town and Gwaria, another village in the local council.
While the deceased died on the spot, some other staff that also sustained cutlass cuts were said to have been taken to hospital.
Mr Christopher Okun, the Divisonal Police Officer (DPO), Kaiama, confirmed the incident, saying however that no arrest had been made.
The chairman of the council, Alhaji Alhassan Bagudu also confirmed the development, describing it as shocking and pathetic.
Meanwhile, Bagudu had in an interview, pleaded for an immediate construction of Kaiama/Kishi road because of the danger the deplorable state of the road was posing to passengers plying the route.
He said in the interview that gunmen were using the opportunity of the road to rob their people.
It was gathered that the deceased had been buried according to Islamic rites.
When contacted, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), however said he was yet to be briefed about the incident.
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