One person has been confirmed dead, while 87 others sustained injuries in a road accident involving a trailer along the Potiskum–Azare Road in Yobe State.
The accident occurred at about 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Potiskum entrance roundabout in Potiskum Local Government Area, when a trailer conveying passengers to the Potiskum cattle market reportedly lost control and overturned.
Confirming the incident, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, the police public relations officer of the Yobe State Command, said the vehicle was overloaded with passengers.
“The Yobe State Police Command confirms one fatality and 87 injured persons following a road traffic accident involving a trailer at the Potiskum entrance roundabout,” Abdulkarim said.
He added that the injured victims were evacuated to the Potiskum Specialist Hospital for treatment, while the deceased was deposited at the hospital morgue.
According to the police, investigations have commenced to determine the immediate and remote causes of the accident, while motorists were urged to comply strictly with traffic regulations to prevent similar incidents.
Survivors said the trailer was conveying nearly 100 passengers from Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State to the popular Potiskum cattle market when it overturned.
One of the victims, Amir Dauda, said the accident occurred as the vehicle approached the roundabout.
“The trailer was filled with people. As the driver tried to manoeuvre near the roundabout, the vehicle suddenly stumbled and fell. Everything happened very fast,” he said.
Another passenger, Ibrahim Sadiq, said many commuters resorted to boarding the trailer due to a lack of transportation, especially on market days, despite being aware of the risks.
At the Potiskum Specialist Hospital, several injured victims were seen lying on the floor due to limited space. A hospital staff member, Murtala Lawan, described the emergency unit as small and poorly equipped to handle mass casualty situations, calling for urgent expansion and improved facilities.
“This unit cannot even comfortably accommodate ten patients at once, let alone close to ninety victims brought in simultaneously,” Lawan said.
The incident has renewed concerns over overloading, unsafe transport practices, and emergency response capacity in the state.