Jumat prayer made me survive Lokoja accident ―passenger

FOR Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi, jumat prayer of last Friday saved him from being killed along with other passengers of the ill-fated commercial bus that was involved in an accident in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

This is just the death toll in the accident increased to 12 on Saturday, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Speaking with Tribune Online, Abdullahi said the bus took off from Asaba at about 7am and was heading to Abuja.

He said when the bus got to Lokoja, the driver stopped for the passengers to eat at one of the popular eateries at the entrance of the town.

He however said he decided not to eat but to go for the jumat prayer at a nearby mosque but the other passengers were ready before he could finish with the prayer.

Abdullahi said he asked the vehicle to go since he was to drop at the NATACO junction which was about one kilometer to the eatery.

He said he had barely finished his ablution when he heard the noise and flame from the accident scene following which he quickly rushed to the have a glimpse of what was happening.

He added that he was shocked to discover that the bus which was conveying him and 17 others was involved in the accident and already caught fire.

Abdullahi said, “We were coming from Asaba and the bus was going to Abuja, although I was not going to Abuja but I paid the same fare as those going to Abuja.

“When we entered town as it is always the practice, the driver stopped for the passengers to eat and I later decided not to go with them because I wanted to pray and since I was to come down at NATACO junction I therefore asked them to go because it was time for jumat.

“It was unfortunate that it happened because the driver was careful with his driving and there was no cause for the passengers to complain about his driving “.

However, the sector commander of the FRSC in the state, Olusegun Martins, said many of the figures of the victims earlier quoted were wrong.

He told Tribune Online on phone on Saturday that two people out of the six that were burnt in the accident had died.

He said that took the death toll to 12, saying others were still receiving treatment.

He said the injured were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja and the State Specialist Hospital, while the dead were deposited at Ankuri hospital also in Lokoja.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of FMC, Abdullahi Abdulrahaman, confirmed that three of the burnt victims were brought to the hospital on Friday.

He said the people sustained high degrees of burnt but the hospital authorities were trying to give adequate medical attention to them.