The truck was packed with passengers, goods and animals when its driver lost control at Kwanar Barde, in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State, in the early hours of Sunday, February 8, 2026. At least 30 people died. Local witnesses told reporters that most of them were killed on the spot.
Witnesses blamed speeding and reckless handling. Officials said the same. Governor Abba Yusuf, quoted by the Associated Press, put it down to “reckless driving” by the operator of the truck-trailer.
BusinessDay reported that the vehicle was on its way to Gujungu in Jigawa State. Many of those aboard were badly hurt, and survivors were taken to hospitals around the state.
The state response
Yusuf said he was left in shock by the crash and called it “heartbreaking.” A statement from his media aide, Sanusi Bature Dawaki Tofa, laid out what the government would do. The Ministry of Health was told to treat every survivor free of charge. The Office of the Special Adviser on Humanitarian Affairs was ordered to assess the casualties and propose ways to help the families of the dead.
The governor also appealed to drivers, heavy-vehicle operators above all, to obey traffic rules and stop driving dangerously. Medical and humanitarian teams were sent to the scene, BusinessDay said, and the crash was described as one of the deadliest on the region’s roads in recent times.
A familiar toll
The AP put the crash against a grim national record. Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps counted 5,421 deaths in 9,570 accidents in 2024. Safety experts point to damaged roads, weak enforcement of traffic law and bad driver behavior.
Yusuf described the crash as a great loss, not just for the affected families but for the people of Kano State.
Sources
- Over 30 Dead, Several Seriously Injured In Kano Truck Crash (The Source NG)
- Over 30 killed as trailer crashes in Kano community on way to Jigawa (BusinessDay)
- Road accident in Nigeria kills at least 30 people (Associated Press, via Yahoo News)
Sources
- Nigeria road accident kills at least 30: local officials – TRT World
- Kano: 30 killed, several persons injured in auto crash
