The wife and three children of a former Niger State Commissioner for Education, Abubakar Daja, have died in a fatal road crash involving a Sienna and a Mazda vehicle.
The accident occurred on Sunday along the Kutigi-Bida Road, near Shebe Village in Niger State, leaving nine people dead and several others injured.
The late Hajia Daja, who was travelling with her four children in a Mazda from Minna towards the Mokwa-Bida axis, reportedly died alongside three of her children at the scene.
The only survivor in the vehicle, identified as her teenage daughter, sustained serious injuries, including a broken rib and shoulder, and was reportedly unconscious after the crash.
An eyewitness from Mokwa Local Government Area, Salihu Abubakar, expressed concern over the teenager’s condition, saying her injuries were severe.
The late Abubakar Daja, who hailed from Mashegu Local Government Area, served as Commissioner for Education during Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999. He served two terms in office, ending his tenure in 2007, before his death in 2025.
Confirming the crash, an official of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Saadu, said 18 people were involved in the accident.
She disclosed that seven people died, seven others were injured, while four escaped without injuries at the time of rescue.
“As at the time of rescue, 18 people were involved: seven injured, seven killed and four not injured,” she said in a WhatsApp message.
She added that the crash occurred at about 11:30am along the Kutigi-Bida Road at Shebe Village.
However, two occupants of the Sienna were also reported to have died, bringing the total number of fatalities from the crash to nine.
The incident has thrown the family and community of the late former commissioner into mourning as relatives and sympathisers await further details on the tragedy.
