Sixteen men, two women and a female child died in an accident which occurred along the Abuja-Lokoja Road on Friday morning.
The Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr. Ogochukwu Ugboma, told journalists that nine other persons sustained injuries from the accident.
The accident, involving a First Tarzan Lagos-bound luxurious bus with registration number Lagos XT 286 LSD, occurred around 5:45am near Gegu community.
“86 persons, comprising two children, 59 men and 25 women were involved in the accident,” Ugboma said. “Though the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, some eyewitnesses said the bus ran into an ambush laid by armed robbers.”
Ugboma said eyewitnesses told him that the driver was making a U-turn in a bid to escape the robbers when the bus plunged into a ditch and somersaulted, leading to the death of the 18 passengers.
He added that the injured and the dead had been taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, Kogi State, while an investigation into the cause of the accident had been initiated.