Niger State Highway Crash Leaves Five Dead, As School Convoy Collides Head-On Near Minna

Minna, Nigeria— A head-on collision between a school convoy bus and a heavy truck killed four students and their driver at 7:40 a.m. on October 28, 2026, on the Minna-Bida highway in Niger State.

Police said the bus was part of a three-vehicle convoy taking students from a boarding school in Minna to a debate competition in Bida. The lead bus reportedly tried to overtake a tanker on a narrow bend near Gidan Kwano. It hit an oncoming truck carrying cement. The impact crushed the front cabin.

Four students, aged between 14 and 17, died on the spot. The driver, identified as Musa Ibrahim, 42, was trapped and died before rescue teams could cut him free. Six other students were pulled out with injuries. They were taken to General Hospital Minna. Two are in critical condition.

"The driver of the school bus was at high speed and on the wrong lane," said Federal Road Safety Corps sector commander Kumar Tsukwam, who visited the scene. "We have warned schools repeatedly about convoy driving without escort and without speed control." He said the road has no divider and overtaking at that spot is banned.

Witnesses said the convoy had no police escort and the buses were close together. After the crash, villagers blocked the highway for two hours, demanding speed bumps. "We heard a loud bang, then screams," said Adamu Shehu, a farmer whose farm is near the crash site. "The students were in uniform, their books scattered on the road."

School authorities said the trip had approval but the driver was a contract hire, not a regular staff driver. The principal said the school hired extra buses because of the number of students going. Parents gathered at the hospital by 10 a.m. One mother collapsed after identifying her son. The school has declared three days of mourning and suspended classes.

Niger State has one of the highest road fatality rates in the country. The Minna-Bida road is notorious for potholes and heavy truck traffic from cement factories. Last month, eight people died on the same stretch. FRSC said it seized the truck driver's license and will test both drivers for alcohol.

Governor's office said it will cover medical bills for the injured and has ordered a full investigation into school transport rules. The state education ministry said it will issue new guidelines on convoy movement, speed limiters, and mandatory escort vehicles for school trips.

As of evening, the bodies were at the mortuary. The wrecked bus remained on the roadside, cordoned off. Police said they are waiting for families to give statements before filing charges.