MINNA, Nigeria — Four university students and a government driver were killed in a Niger State road crash on Monday, October 26, 2026, according to a news report.
The state government denied reports that the vehicle was travelling in Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s convoy.
It said the driver was a Government House employee returning from a trip with other staff.
The collision occurred on the Minna–Bida Road at Gidan Mangoro, near Minna.
Account to Punch, said a Toyota Hilux carrying Government House Director-General Dauda Chikuba collided with a vehicle carrying five Federal University of Technology, Minna, students.
Four students and the Hilux driver died at the scene, according to that account. Chikuba was taken to hospital.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the crash and said an investigation was underway. His remarks, as published, did not identify those killed.
Government Disputes Convoy Account
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Obed Nuhu Nana, the commissioner for information and orientation, said the vehicle had not been on a convoy assignment with the governor.
“Preliminary information available to the government indicates that the driver acted recklessly, resulting in this unfortunate incident,” Nana said.
Nana said other government employees injured in the collision were receiving treatment. The statement did not identify the dead or give a detailed account of the journey.
The government offered condolences to the bereaved families and called on motorists to obey traffic regulations.
Collision Under Investigation
Punch reported that the government vehicle was heading towards Minna while the students’ vehicle was travelling towards Bida.
Witnesses quoted by the newspaper linked the journey to a condolence visit to Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe and chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers.
An eyewitness identified by SolaceBase as Danjuma Umar alleged that the Hilux driver tried to overtake another vehicle before colliding with the oncoming car.
Aishat Sa’adu, the Federal Road Safety Corps’ sector commander in Niger State, also confirmed the crash. She said victims had already been evacuated when her officers arrived, according to SolaceBase. The agency could not immediately establish the total number of people involved.
The outlet reported that injured victims were taken to Minna General Hospital, with some subsequently transferred to the IBB Specialist Hospital for further treatment.
The reports differed on who died. Vanguard included a woman driving the private car among the five fatalities.
Neither the police comments quoted in the reports nor the government’s statement supplied a complete list of those killed.
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