Kano auto-crash eyewitnesses reveal: ‘One of the sisters assisted driver after accident’

When Fatima, 26, and Aisha, 24, completed their mandatory one-year national youth service last month, they were full of joy and hope for a bright future ahead of them based on the interviews that they had attended. Fatima, who served with the Galaxy Backbone in Abuja, was an Information Technology graduate from a university in […]

When Fatima, 26, and Aisha, 24, completed their mandatory one-year national youth service last month, they were full of joy and hope for a bright future ahead of them based on the interviews that they had attended. Fatima, who served with the Galaxy Backbone in Abuja, was an Information Technology graduate from a university in Dubai and had already attended an interview with the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Company (NDIC) and was optimistic of getting the job. Aisha, on the other hand, served with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Economics from Sussex and Nottingham universities, in the United Kingdom. She was pursuing her dream of working in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) especially in the operations department, her area of specialization. All these dreams were interred with them last Thursday, November 18th, when the car they were travelling in crashed, killing them.

 

Dr. Mohammad Sagagi, a long-time family friend of the Yahayas, stood in for their father who was in far away Tunisia when the accident happened, was visibly devastated. He told Weekly Trust that the girls seem to have had a premonition of their death because they visited almost all their extended family members in Zaria before they embarked on the ill-fated journey. He said they also sent text messages to all the friends and family members they could not see. “They went to their grandparents and spent some time with them. They visited their cousins and family friends in Zaria. While on the journey, they sent text messages of the Prophet’s last sermon to virtually all their cousins and friends, especially those they could not meet. It was as if they were admonishing us and at the same time, saying goodbye.  The siblings were close in life and little did we know they will die the same day,” he said.

The actual cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. Sagagi, who visited the accident spot, said eyewitness accounts differ from media reports. “It was reported that the saloon car they were travelling had a burst tyre, but that is not true. A family friend who observed the car said the tyres were intact. The villagers who attempted to rescue them said there was no burst tyre. They testified that the driver was not on high speed. The villagers told us that the driver lost control, veered off the road and hit the divide to the other lane. The car was hit by an approaching truck. Aisha died instantly. Eyewitnesses told us that Fatima came out and even assisted the driver to come out. She collapsed minutes later. Maybe she had an internal injury. They were rushed to the Kwanar Dangora clinic. That was where we claimed their bodies and buried them that same evening. The driver survived. He will be in a position to explain what actually happened when he recovers. But I think there is need for further investigation to know what actually happened.”

He described the loss as monumental and shocking to family and friends of Dr. Yahaya. “I am like their grandfather. When they came to attend my daughter’s marriage recently, I even jokingly gave them six months ultimatum to produce their husbands or I will give them out myself. They were so sweet, nice, intelligent and promising. They were loved by all because they always tried to maintain relationships in the extended family and those of family friends.”

Sagagi told Weekly Trust that their mother was the last person who spoke with them. “After sending several text messages they spoke with their mother who was in Tunisia and one of their friends in England. They were still talking to their mother when the accident happened. Their mother kept calling until one of the good Samaritans who helped them picked the call and informed her that the owner of the phone just had an accident and died.”

Hajiya Halima Yahaya, who arrived Nigeria last Friday, a day after the accident, was too shocked to speak. She had earlier scheduled to speak to Weekly Trust on Thursday but she later declined. Her husband, Dr. Yahaya, is expected in the country by the weekend.