The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has attributed the fatal crash involving athletes of Kano State on their way to the National Sports Festival to the combined effects of fatigue and over speeding. The accident occurred on Saturday at Gadar Yankifii on the Kano/Kaduna highway, claiming the lives of 21 persons, all males.

According to the FRSC spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, the Coaster bus with number plate KN 041 A17 veered off the road due to driver fatigue and over speeding. The bus had 24 occupants, comprising 23 males and a female, who survived with two males. All survivors are undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The dead include journalists, wrestlers, kickboxers, two drivers, medical doctors, referees, and the image maker of the Kano State Sports Commission. One of the victims was identified as Imam Umar Fagge, a football referee and junior brother of Umar Fagge, the Acting Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission.

President Bola Tinubu has described the accident as a “devastating blow to the nation” that casts a dark shadow on the National Sports Festival. “It casts a shadow over the National Sports Festival, a celebration of unity, talent, and excellence,” the President said in a statement. He added that the festival has long served as a platform for discovering and nurturing athletes who bring pride to Nigeria on both national and international stages.