19 people die after Kano football team meets with accident

By Jibril Abdullahi Hassan, Kano
A vehicle carrying Kano athletes and their coaches to the National Sports Festival in Nigeria has crashed on its way home, killing at least 19 people and injuring others.

The incident occurred about 50km from Kano on Saturday after the vehicle left Ogun State in the southwest of the country after the games concluded on Friday.

Ibrahim Umar Fage, the acting chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, confirmed the incident, saying, “Our athletes spent the night in Abuja and were on their way home in the morning. They had an accident near Dakatsalle. The vehicle fell off a bridge near Ciromawa. At least 19 to 20 people have died, while others are in hospital,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, expressed his concern over the accident, saying the incident has affected the entire state.

He added that "this incident is very disturbing. We express our condolences to the brothers and families of the deceased and to the people of Kano State in general."

He added that the government would take responsibility for the care of the remaining injured.