Two Killed, Over 50 Livestock Dead In Taraba Accident

 

The vehicle departed Ganye in Adamawa State and was headed for Lokpanta Cattle Market in Abia State before the unfortunate incident in Taraba State.

A heavy duty vehicle conveying livestock was involved in an accident along the Jalingo-Wukari Expressway in Jalingo, Taraba State, on Saturday night, killing two passengers and over 50 livestock on the spot.

The vehicle departed Ganye in Adamawa State and was headed for Lokpanta Cattle Market in Abia State before the unfortunate incident in Taraba State.

The accident happened around 11pm on Saturday as the driver of the vehicle lost control due to suspected steering lock while on high speed, hit a road divider and skidded off to the other side of the road.

Two passengers of the vehicle lost their lives on the spot with over 50 cattle, goats and sheep also found dead due to the impact of the accident.

Narrating the unfortunate accident, the driver of the vehicle, Mohammed Ahmed, said, “We left Ganye in Adamawa State without any hitch. Shortly after we passed the flyover, I discovered that the steering locked itself. I tried all I could to manipulate it but all to no avail. I was not sleeping as speculated by some persons.”

Yakubu Mohammed, a passenger who escaped unhurt, confirmed the death of two persons and regretted the attitude of some residents whom despite their ordeal attempted stealing their livestock who are alive.

He said traders with stocks in the vehicle lost millions of naira to the accident and appealed to the Taraba State Government for intervention.

Meanwhile, the association of butchers in the state expressed displeasure over the actions of some butchers who stole from the scene of the accident.

Secretary of the Taraba Association of Butchers, Masaudu Ibrahim, said the association would punish any butcher found selling animals not slaughtered and would check to ensure that the dead animals taken from the scene don’t make it to the market.

As of the time of filing this report, security operatives were seen arriving the scene of the accident as the remains of the victims have been evacuated.