Joy Turns To Sorrow As 20 Kano Sportsmen And Women Die In Vehicle Accident

By Akinwale Kasali and Ayodele Oni

It was a tragic end to a celebration. Joy turned to sorrow. For days, Sportsmen and women from Kano State were in Abeokuta, Ogun State for the National Sports Festival. On Thursday when it ended, they, along with their counterparts from 35 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, hugged, danced,  celebrated and said goodbye to one another, hoping to see in 2026 in Enugu.

But for twenty from Kano, it turned out a final goodbye. The Kano State Sports vehicle in which they were traveling back to Kano, where they were being waited for – for more celebrations got involved in a fatal accident.

At the last count, 20 of them lay dead, and some others injured thus throwing the Government and people of the  State into

mourning.

They were only about 50 kilometers to Kano when the tragedy  occurred at Dakatsalle town.

The deceased, including a journalist were  among the 35 athletes and officials that left the  venue of the Sports Festival in Ogun State after it was declared closed.

“The accident occurred today, Saturday, at the Dakatsalle Bridge in Kura Local Government Area of the state” a grieving eye witness said.

According to eyewitnesses,  the bus conveying the athletes lost control and plunged into the river under the bridge.

The Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, confirmed the devastating incident.

He said: “As I am speaking to you now, we have counted 19 bodies, the bus, which was carrying 30 persons, including athletes and officials, fell off the bridge.

“Rescue efforts are ongoing, and the injured have been taken to the Kura General Hospital for medical treatment”.

A former Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Ado Salisu, also confirmed the accident and the number of casualties.

Salisu noted that among the deceased was the son of Salisu Jegu, a sports journalist with Express Radio, who accompanied the team for better publicity during and after the game.