Key Points
- Athletes were returning to Kano from National Sports Festival
- Driver fatigue or speeding suspected in fatal bus crash
- Survivors taken to hospital
ABUJA, Nigeria: A bus crash on a Nigerian motorway on Saturday claimed the lives of 21 athletes who were returning from a national sports tournament. Authorities suggested the accident may have been caused by driver fatigue or excessive speed.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reported that the afternoon crash, which involved no other vehicles, “might have occurred as a result of fatigue and excessive speed” following a long overnight journey, according to AFP.
The athletes had been travelling back to Kano, in northern Nigeria, from the 22nd National Sports Festival, held approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away in Ogun State, in the south of the country.
Emergency medical treatment
Survivors of the road mishap have been taken to a hospital for emergency medical treatment, according to Anadolu news agency.
Former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar expressed “deep sorrow” over the deaths of the athletes in a post on his X account, describing them as “the very best of our nation — dedicated, talented, and full of promise.”
I am heartbroken by news of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 21 Kano State athletes returning from the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta.
These young men and women who have been cut in their prime represent the very best of our nation; dedicated, talented, and…
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 31, 2025
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 21 athletes from Kano State, who were returning from the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu had recently praised the games, which featured a variety of sports from wheelchair basketball to traditional West African wrestling, as a symbol of “the unity, strength and resilience that define us as a nation.”
