Five people, including four students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, have died in a road crash involving a vehicle in the convoy of Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago.

The accident occurred on Monday at Gidan Mangoro in Minna. It involved a Toyota Hilux conveying Dauda Chikuba, Director-General of the Government House, and a vehicle carrying the students, according to a PUNCH report published on Tuesday.

The four students and the driver of the Government House vehicle died at the scene. Mr Chikuba was taken to hospital for treatment.

The crash happened as the governor’s convoy was returning to Minna after a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, following the death of Sagi Nupe, Aisha. The students’ vehicle was travelling towards Bida at the time of the collision.

An eyewitness quoted by PUNCH described the incident as a head-on collision and alleged that the convoy was travelling at high speed. “It was a head-on collision. We learnt that the convoy was at high speed when the accident occurred. It was a terrible accident,” the eyewitness said. The report did not independently establish the cause of the crash.

Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, confirmed the accident and said an investigation had begun. “The accident occurred this morning, and we are investigating it,” he was quoted as saying. He did not disclose the identities of the deceased.

Further details on the circumstances of the collision and the condition of the injured government official were not immediately available.