A sad road accident has taken the lives of nine young men from Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. They were on their way to Lagos looking for better job opportunities.
The crash happened on Friday, leaving the Yabo community in deep sorrow. Many people across Sokoto State have sent their condolences over the loss of these promising young men.
On Saturday night, Umar Yusuf Danmaje Yabo, the member representing Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, spoke about the tragedy. He called it a huge loss for the families, the constituency, and the nation.
Danmaje shared his feelings in a condolence message to journalists in Sokoto. He said he was deeply saddened by the news.
“It is with a heavy heart that I received the news of the road accident that took the lives of nine young men from Yabo Local Government Area. This painful occurrence is a monumental loss, not only to the bereaved families but also to our constituency, Sokoto State, and the nation at large,” he said.
The lawmaker pointed out that the victims set out with hopes of finding better lives to support their families. “These were young men with dreams, ambitions, and the determination to build a better future for themselves and their loved ones. Their untimely deaths while pursuing lawful means of livelihood are deeply painful,” Danmaje stated.
He expressed that this tragedy shows the tough economic challenges facing many Nigerian youths. This forces them to travel far in search of jobs.
“The entire community is mourning because we have lost a generation of hardworking and promising young people. Their deaths represent not only a personal tragedy for their families but also a huge loss of productive human resources for our society,” he added.
Danmaje said no words could truly comfort the grieving families. He described the accident as an emotional blow to the whole Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency. He extended his sympathies to the families of the deceased, traditional rulers, community leaders, and the residents of Yabo Local Government Area.
“I pray that Almighty Allah grants the departed souls eternal peace in Aljannatul Firdaus, comforts their families, and gives them the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss,” he prayed.
The federal lawmaker also urged the necessary authorities, especially road safety agencies, to take stronger actions to reduce deadly road accidents on Nigerian roads.
“We must intensify efforts to improve road safety and prevent avoidable tragedies that continue to claim innocent lives. Every year, countless families are thrown into grief because of fatal road accidents,” he said.
Danmaje further called on all levels of government to invest more in youth empowerment, skills training, and job creation programs. This can help lessen the need for young people to travel long distances in search of work.
“Expanding employment opportunities closer to home will help reduce the pressure on our young people to embark on risky long-distance journeys in search of work,” he said.
The deaths of the nine youths have raised fresh worries about youth unemployment, internal migration, and road safety. Residents of Yabo are calling this incident one of the community’s darkest moments in recent years.
A senior official from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Kebbi State Command, spoke with our correspondent on Sunday. He asked to remain anonymous because he was not allowed to talk about the incident. He said the accident occurred outside the state.
According to the official, “The incident happened close to Kainji in Niger State. The accident happened yesterday. I saw it on the official handle of the federal lawmaker representing Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency. We were not informed, as we were supposed to be, before they took their corpses for burial.”
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