By Demola Akinyemi & Perez Brisibe

ILORIN—A road accident claimed 13 lives at Otte, on the outskirt of Ilorin, along Ilorin-Ogbomosho Expressway, when a passenger bus ran into a stationary truck, Wednesday.

Vanguard gathered that enraged members of the community were about to set the truck on fire, but for the timely intervention of the police officers.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old boy and six others lost their lives in an accident in front of Beta Glass along East-West Road, near Ughelli, Delta State.

As at 8:10a.m., when Vanguard visited the scene of the accident, operatives of the Ughelli Unit of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, had rushed the injured to the hospital and evacuated the dead.

Speaking on the Ilorin incident, yesterday, the state Police Commissioner, Olusola Amore, said: “The bus was coming from Kaduna.

“The trailer has been impounded and we are working with Kwara State Road Traffic Management Authority, KWARTMA, to tow the trailer, which is loaded with goods.

“We need to do this so that we can get the driver and the owner of the trailer to come forward and answer for the way the trailer was parked.”

East-West Road

On the East-West Road accident, an eyewitness told Vanguard: “The bus, owned by a transport company belonging to the government of one of the South-South states, was travelling from Warri to Uyo when the accident occurred.”

Confirming the incident, the FRSC Ughelli Unit Commander, Olusegun Olusola, said the dead include three males and three females, while four other passengers are in critical condition.

“The accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with number plates APP 218 XT,” Olusola told Vanguard on phone, when contacted.

Giving details of the accident, Olusola said: “The bus rammed into a trailer parked along the road leading to the death of six persons, including a 10-year-old boy, while four other passengers suffered various degrees of life-threatening injuries.”