Twenty-one athletes returning from a national sports festival in Nigeria died on Saturday when their bus crashed, authorities confirmed.
The bus, carrying 35 passengers, lost control and plunged off a bridge while returning from the National Sports Festival in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria.
According to a statement from the Federal Road Safety Corps, the accident, which did not involve any other vehicles, was likely caused by “fatigue” on the part of the driver or “excessive speed” during the night journey. The victims were travelling back to Kano in the northern part of the country, having participated in the 22nd edition of the national sports event held approximately 1,000 kilometres to the south in Ogun State.
Just days prior, President Bola Tinubu had described the multi-sport event, which featured everything from wheelchair basketball to traditional West African wrestling, as a reflection of “the unity, strength, and resilience that define us as a nation.”
Road accidents are frequent on Nigeria’s poorly maintained road network, with authorities attributing most incidents to speeding and traffic law violations. Official data indicates that in 2024, there were 9,570 road accidents that resulted in 5,421 deaths
