Tragedy struck in Maje, a community on the outskirts of Suleja in Niger State, after a truck reportedly suffering brake failure crashed into a residential building, killing a housewife and her grandson.
The incident, which occurred around 7 a.m. on the Suleja-Minna highway, sparked protests by angry youths who blocked the busy road over repeated fatal accidents blamed on the deplorable condition of the highway.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Badamasi, said the truck was travelling from the Minna axis toward Kaduna when the driver suddenly discovered that the brakes had failed.
According to him, the truck veered off the road and rammed into the house, killing the woman and her grandson instantly, while another girl from the same family sustained injuries.
Another resident, Abdulmumini Ahmad, lamented that it was the fourth time a moving tanker or truck had crashed into the same house due to the poor condition of the federal road.
During the protest, the youths accused authorities and truck owners of neglecting victims of previous crashes, noting that affected families and property owners had never received compensation.
The blockade caused heavy gridlock stretching from Suleja town to neighbouring communities along the Minna and Dikko road corridors.
Normal traffic flow was later restored around 3 p.m. after a delegation from the Niger State Government, led by the Commissioner for Transport, Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, intervened and persuaded the protesters to reopen the highway.
The deceased victims were later buried according to Islamic rites.
