*They were returning to Kano after a Quiz contest in Lagos

Ajimobi, centre, at UCH today on a sympathy visit to the surviving students

By Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has condoled with his Kano State counterpart, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, following the death of eight secondary students from the state  in an accident along Iroko Road,Ibadan, Oyo State.

The accident occurred on Tuesday, while 16 students and their teachers were returning to Kano after representing the state in a quiz competition in Lagos.

Seven of the students died on the spot, while one out of the nine rescued from the scene,  died few hours after arriving at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan. The students were from Kano Capital School   and the Unity School in Qaraye.

The governor described the accident , which also reportedly claimed the life of the driver of the bus conveying the students, as highly depressing to him and the people of the state.

Ajimobi had visited the eight surviving victims of the accident at the Accident and Emergency ward of the UCH, where he offered to pick their bills until they were discharged from the hospital.

He was received by the Chief Medical Director of the UCH, Prof. Temitope Alonge; and the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim, who was said to have arrived in Oyo State with an aircraft to convey the bodies to Kano for burial.

The governor, who was in a sombre mood throughout the visit, had sympathised  with the victims on their sick bed where he gave them words of comfort and wished them speedy recovery.

“This is most unfortunate and depressing to me and the good people of Oyo State. My heartfelt sympathy goes to the governor of Kano State, parents and the loved ones of the dead students and other victims. May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace. They are children and we all have children. So, we have to come and empathize with them. I want to use this opportunity to announce that we will settle the bills and take adequate care of the surviving ones.  I have spoken with my dear brother, the governor of Kano state. He is a friend and a brother, because we are all Nigerians. I have assured him to rest assured that the surviving victims will get the best medical attention here at the UCH”.

The governor said he was confident that the management of the UCH would do everything possible to ensure that the survivors were back on their feet as soon as possible.

The CMD of the UCH had said that six of the surviving students and a teacher who were in a stable condition would require further examination and surgeries.

He added that two others were in critical condition and would be subjected to round-the-clock observation to ensure that they survived.