20 killed in two road accidents in Nigeria

LAGOS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people died in two road accidents in Nigeria's northwest Jigawa and southwest Ogun states, officials said Sunday.

Abdu Jinjiri, Jigawa's police spokesperson told reporters in Dutse, the state capital, that 15 people, including two children, died in an accident involving a Sharon bus and a truck along Gujungu-Gumel road in Kaugama area of the state Saturday evening.

"A seven passengers-capacity vehicle overloaded with 14 passengers rammed into a truck coming from the opposite direction on Gujungu-Gumel road," he said.

In southwest Ogun state, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said five people died and 13 others injured in an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Sunday.

Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander of FRSC, said two vehicles and 18 people were involved in the accident.

Road accidents take place frequently in Nigeria due to reckless driving, bad road conditions and overloading. More than 1,000 people are killed on the road each year in the country.

According to road transport data, 11,363 road crashes occurred in 2016, with 28.85 percent of the crashes occurring in the last quarter of the year.

December had the highest record of road crashes. Data from 2014 and 2015 also show an increase in road traffic accidents during the end of the year. Enditem