Five siblings killed as water tanker hits school tricycle in Gombe

Five children from the same family were killed on Tuesday morning when a water tanker and a commercial tricycle carrying them to school crashed in Gombe metropolis.

The children were all members of the Mansir Adamu family of Jekadafari. They were Maryam and Usman, both Primary Five pupils of Jekadafari Primary School; Hauwau of Government Junior Secondary School, Jekadafari; Aliyu of Government Day Secondary School, Ahmadu Gombe; and Fatima, whose school was not named.

Three other children were injured and taken to hospital for treatment, according to the accounts from the state government and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

The FRSC Sector Commander in Gombe, Samson Kaura, confirmed the crash. He said his men reached the scene after the first rescue had been done, and later visited the hospital to check the number of casualties.

Reports differ on the details

The accounts do not fully agree. Channels TV, Daily Trust, Daily Post and Tribune reported that five siblings died. Punch, quoting Kaura, put the figure at four dead and two injured, and said the tricycle hit the tanker from behind.

The outlets also differ on the location. Channels TV and Daily Post placed it at Kanadi Academy Junction in Buba Shango. Daily Trust and Daily Post said it was near Kanady Academy, along APC Square in the Government Reserved Area. Punch wrote Kanani Academy junction, behind the APC square. Tribune said the crash happened at about 7:30am in the Federal Lowcost area.

On the cause, Punch quoted Kaura as saying eyewitnesses saw the tricycle ram the tanker from behind. Tribune quoted an eyewitness blaming dangerous driving by the tricycle rider, who reportedly ran into a tanker coming from the opposite direction. Tribune also said four of the siblings died at the scene and the fifth died in hospital.

Daily Trust reported that the injured children and the drivers were taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, and that the bodies of the dead were deposited at the mortuary.

Governor mourns, warns drivers

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya described the deaths as heartbreaking. In a statement signed by his Director-General of Press Affairs, Ismaila Uba Misilli, he said losing five children from one family was a devastating blow to their parents, their schools and the whole state.

"No commuting is worth the loss of precious human lives," the governor said, urging drivers to obey traffic rules, keep to safe speeds, avoid dangerous manoeuvres and make sure their vehicles are roadworthy.

He prayed for the quick recovery of the injured children and asked Almighty Allah to grant the deceased Aljannatul Firdaus and give their parents the strength to bear the loss.

The crash is a reminder of the danger many Nigerian schoolchildren face on their daily commute, often in overloaded tricycles on busy roads.