The Kaduna State Traffic Laws Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) has denied reports circulating on social media that three girls died in a road accident involving one of its marshals along Ali Akilu Road in Kaduna metropolis.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when KASTLEA marshals were conducting stop-and-search operations as part of efforts to enforce traffic rules and regulations.
The agency said the accident occurred when a commercial bus driver attempted to avoid another vehicle whose driver was being stopped by the marshals.
According to KASTLEA, the commercial bus was involved in an accident and fell, causing some of the passengers, mostly young girls selling roasted corn, to sustain injuries.
However, reports subsequently circulated on social media claiming that three girls inside the bus had died, while the bus driver allegedly sustained fractures in both legs.
The agency’s management described the reports as false, saying no one died in the accident and the bus driver did not sustain any fractures.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Officer of KASTLEA, Carla Abdulmalik, urged members of the public to stop circulating unverified information on social media.
She said, ‘Yesterday, we heard that the road between MRS filling station along Ali Akilu Road was blocked, so I dispatched top officials to the scene.
‘I also called the zonal commander to find out the reason because I knew we had marshals there enforcing mandatory traffic laws.
‘So I got information that a bus had an accident and fell with some passengers and that the marshal left the scene and an ambulance went there.
‘It is really funny and very unfortunate the way stories are being carried out these days with the advent of social media. People now carry false stories and rumours.
‘The story I heard was that three girls died inside the bus and that the bus driver had fractures on his legs. None of these was true.
‘The girls only sustained minor injuries. They were treated and handed over to their father at the police station.’
The commercial bus driver, identified as Mustapha Ibrahim, also dismissed the report, saying no passenger died in the accident and that he did not sustain fractures.
‘It’s not true. Nobody died inside the bus and I did not sustain fractures as reported and circulated,’ he said.