No fewer than nine people were killed and seven others injured in a road crash involving a commuter bus and a truck near Dabi, along the Abuja-Lokoja highway in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A witness said the accident occurred at about 6:24pm on Wednesday and involved an 18-seater commuter bus and a truck, both of which had no visible registration numbers.
According to the witness, the bus was travelling from Gwagwalada towards Kwali on high speed when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle, resulting in a head-on collision with the oncoming truck.
The witness said the bus driver and eight passengers died on the spot, while seven others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) responded to the scene and evacuated the injured victims to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, for treatment.
Confirming the incident, the FCT Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Iliyasu Tijjani, said nine persons lost their lives in the crash.
He attributed the accident to excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking by the driver of the commuter bus.
Tijjani said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the morgue of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, while the seven injured victims were receiving treatment at the facility.