Police officer dies, 17 injured in auto crash along Potiskum–Bauchi road

Police officer dies, 17 injured in auto crash along Potiskum–Bauchi road

By: Zagazola Makama

A senior police officer has died while 17 other passengers sustained injuries following a road accident along the Potiskum–Bauchi highway in Yobe State.

Sources said the crash occurred at about 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 21 near the bye-pass roundabout area of PKM on the outskirts of Potiskum.

The vehicle, a Toyota Hummer Bus belonging to Borno Express and conveying 18 passengers from Kaduna to Maiduguri, reportedly lost control after the rear tyre rim on the passenger side suddenly detached.

According to the sources , the driver veered off the road into a bush, resulting in fatal and multiple injuries.

One of the passengers, ACP Abubakar Ibrahim Balteh, 45, attached to the Borno State Police Command, sustained a severe head injury and died on the spot.

Two male and two female passengers escaped unhurt, while 13 others suffered serious injuries of varying degrees.

The injured victims and the deceased were evacuated to the General Hospital Potiskum for treatment and autopsy.

Police officer dies, 17 injured in auto crash along Potiskum–Bauchi road