A tragic incident unfolded in Damagum, the headquarters of Fune Local Government Area in Yobe State, after a speeding bus rammed into Muslim worshippers observing Juma’at prayers, leaving two people dead and many others injured.
The accident involved an 18-seater Hummer bus travelling from Damaturu to Azare when it veered off course and crashed into worshippers who were praying behind the highway.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the Yobe State Police Command, Dungus Abdulkarim, said “preliminary investigations revealed two persons were killed while an unspecified number of worshippers, including minors, were injured and taken to General Hospital Damagum, while others with severe cases were referred to University Teaching Hospital in Damaturu.”
An eyewitness, Sabo Abubakar, attributed the incident to reckless driving, stating that the vehicle was moving at a dangerously high speed before ploughing into the unsuspecting worshippers.
Emergency responders also verified the casualty figures. The Yobe Emergency Medical Ambulance Services confirmed the two fatalities and disclosed that 27 injured victims are currently receiving treatment at General Hospital Damagum and the University Teaching Hospital in Damaturu.
The incident sparked outrage among residents, as some angry youths took to the streets in protest and set the bus ablaze, despite efforts by security operatives to restore calm.
Authorities later regained control of the situation with the intervention of the military, while the driver of the vehicle has been arrested and is now in custody as investigations continue.