At least four primary school pupils lost their lives on Monday in Igalaland, Kogi East, when a truck ferrying them from Egbolo community to Ofuloko Community School fell into a river.
Several others reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. as the pupils were on their way to school.
It was gathered that the incident led to a road blockade by residents protesting the absence of a functioning school in their community, which forces pupils to travel long distances before they can access primary education.
A grieving parent, who lost his son, accused the government of neglecting Egbolo for years and called for urgent action to prevent further incidents.
Usman Idrisu, a youth leader of the community, said the accident occurred around 8 a.m. when a truck carrying building materials ferried some pupils to Ofuloko Primary School.
However, the truck reportedly failed to climb a hill after crossing a bridge, rolled backward, and plunged into the river.
“The truck could not climb the hill after it crossed the bridge and rolled backward before plunging into the river. We are seriously grieved in Egbolo community for the death of four of our children who died in the cause of seeking education,” Idrisu lamented.
He added that the community, despite its population, does not have a primary school, forcing children to trek long distances to Ofuloko to access basic education.
Idrisu appealed to Governor Ahmed Ododo to consider the population of the community and establish a primary school.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the state government nor the police had issued a statement on the development. Efforts to reach the state police command were unsuccessful, and repeated calls to the police public relations officer, CSP William Aya, went unanswered.
