At least four primary school pupils lost their lives on Monday in Igalaland, Kogi East, when a truck conveying them from Egbolo community to Ofuloko Community School crashed into a river. The tragic incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. as the children were on their way to school, sparking widespread grief and outrage among residents.
According to eyewitness accounts, several other pupils sustained varying degrees of injuries following the accident. The victims were among many schoolchildren who endure long, risky journeys daily because their community lacks a functional primary school. This infrastructural gap has forced parents to rely on unconventional and unsafe means of transportation to ensure their children receive basic education.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, angry community members mounted a road blockade to protest what they described as years of neglect by the government. They insisted that the absence of a school in Egbolo has subjected children to avoidable hardship and exposed them to life-threatening dangers.
One grieving parent, who lost his young son, tearfully accused the government of abandoning the community despite repeated appeals for educational facilities. He stressed that Egbolo has suffered neglect for years, adding that the deaths should serve as a wake-up call for urgent government intervention.
A youth leader in the community, Usman Idrisu, explained that the accident happened when a truck originally carrying building materials offered to ferry some of the pupils to Ofuloko Primary School. He said the vehicle failed to climb a hill shortly after crossing a bridge, causing it to roll backward and plunge into the river.
“The truck could not climb the hill after it crossed the bridge and rolled backward before plunging into the river. We are seriously grieved in Egbolo community for the death of four of our children who died in the course of seeking education,” Idrisu lamented, describing the incident as one of the darkest moments in the community’s history.
Idrisu noted that Egbolo is a large community, yet it lacks a single primary school. As a result, pupils are compelled to trek or hitch rides for long distances to reach Ofuloko, exposing them to significant safety risks daily. He said Monday’s incident was a painful reminder of the urgent need for government intervention.
The youth leader appealed directly to the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, urging him to establish a primary school in Egbolo to reduce the risks faced by schoolchildren and ensure that basic education is accessible within the community.
Residents who joined the protest expressed similar sentiments, calling on authorities to prioritise education and infrastructure development in rural communities. They argued that no child should lose their life while attempting to access basic education, a right guaranteed by the constitution.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kogi State government nor the state police command had issued an official statement regarding the incident. Efforts to reach security agencies for clarification proved unsuccessful.
Repeated calls to the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP William Aya, went unanswered, leaving families and community members anxiously awaiting updates. The silence from authorities has further fuelled community anger and calls for accountability.
Meanwhile, residents engaged in search-and-rescue efforts alongside volunteers in hopes of recovering missing pupils and providing support to surviving victims. The atmosphere in Egbolo remained sombre, with many families mourning their losses while demanding swift action to prevent such tragedies in the future.
