By Rayyanu Bala

Sometimes, a tragedy happens and leaves you wondering whether it could have been prevented.
Yesterday’s ghastly incident at the Lafia flyover, involving an open lorry conveying supporters of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, is one of those tragedies that should make every responsible person stop and reflect.
No fewer than six people reportedly lost their lives, while several others sustained injuries and were taken to the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Lafia for treatment.
Six lives. Six families now dealing with a pain that words cannot adequately describe.
The wife of the former IGP, as well as the APC Nasarawa State chapter, described the incident as painful and heartbreaking. In separate condolence messages issued on Monday, they prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the departed, grant them Jannatul Firdaus and give the injured speedy recovery.
Those prayers are necessary. The families need our prayers, sympathy and support.
But beyond the condolences, there is also a difficult conversation we must have.
And I say this with a heavy heart because, just two weeks ago, I raised precisely this concern.
On September 1, 2026, I published an article in Nasarawa Eye Online Newspaper titled: “If Ex-IGP Truly Values His Supporters, Why Transport Them Like Cargo?”
At the time, I questioned the practice of transporting human beings in the open back of a goods truck.
I did not raise the issue because I wanted to attack anybody. I did not raise it because of politics. And I certainly did not wish for anything like what happened yesterday.
I raised it because it appeared dangerous.
I raised it because people are more important than political mobilisation.
I raised it because an open lorry is designed primarily for carrying goods, not for conveying large numbers of human beings over long distances.
And, unfortunately, yesterday’s tragedy has brought that concern into painful focus.
This Is Not About Saying “I Told You So”
Let me make this clear: this is not a moment for anybody to say, “I told you so.”
There is nothing to celebrate here.
When human beings die, nobody wins.
The families who lost loved ones have not won. The injured have not won. The organisers have not won. The political movement has not won. And society has not won.
The appropriate response is grief, reflection and a determination to prevent a repetition.
My earlier article was simply a warning about a risk that I believed needed attention.
I asked a very simple question: If these supporters are important enough to mobilise, why are they not important enough to transport safely?
That question remains relevant today.
People are not cargo.
They are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and friends. Every person sitting in the back of a vehicle represents an entire network of people who love them and expect them to return home safely.
Political mobilisation should never make us forget that basic human reality.
There was another point I raised in that earlier article: the law.
I referred to Regulation 95 of the National Road Traffic Regulations 2012, which addresses the transportation of persons in vehicles intended for goods.
Whether we are discussing politics, religion, social mobilisation or any other form of gathering, respect for traffic regulations should not be negotiable.
Road safety regulations exist for a reason.
They are not designed to inconvenience political supporters. They are designed to protect human lives.
And this is where the situation becomes particularly difficult to understand.
The supporters involved were associated with a former Inspector-General of Police, a man who once occupied one of the highest law-enforcement positions in Nigeria.
That office carries enormous responsibility. It represents, among other things, the enforcement of laws and the protection of lives and property.
One would therefore expect any movement associated with someone who once served as the country’s chief law-enforcement officer to demonstrate an especially strong commitment to public safety and respect for the law.
That is why the sight of supporters being transported in an open lorry was concerning even before yesterday’s incident.
It should concern us regardless of who the supporters are or which political party they support.
There is also something else we need to reconsider as a society.
We sometimes mistake the sheer number of people transported to a political gathering for political strength.
The bigger the crowd, the more powerful the politician appears.
But what happens when the process of creating that impressive crowd puts the people themselves at unnecessary risk?
What exactly have we achieved?
There is nothing admirable about filling an open lorry with human beings and sending them on a long journey simply because we want to demonstrate political support.
Political supporters are not statistics.
They are not numbers to be counted at a rally.
They are human beings whose safety should matter more than the appearance of political strength.
If there are resources to mobilise dozens of people from one location to another, surely there should also be arrangements for appropriate passenger vehicles.
And if there are not enough buses, then perhaps fewer people should be mobilised.
Lack of sufficient vehicles should never become an excuse for converting a goods truck into a passenger vehicle.
Perhaps there is one question that every person involved in organising political journeys should ask before putting people into a vehicle:
Would I allow my own wife, husband, child, parent or sibling to travel this way?
If the answer is no, then why should somebody else’s family member be expected to do it?
That question has nothing to do with APC, SDP or any other political party.
It has nothing to do with whether one supports or opposes the former IGP.
It is simply a question of humanity.
What has happened has happened.
The dead cannot be brought back.
The families cannot simply be told to forget.
And those who were injured will need care, compassion and support as they recover from this painful experience.
But if there is anything positive that can emerge from such a terrible tragedy, it must be a commitment to do things differently.
Political leaders, community leaders and organisers must take the safety of supporters seriously.
Those who participate in political activities must also understand that loyalty does not require them to put their lives unnecessarily at risk.
And the authorities responsible for enforcing road-traffic regulations must continue to do their jobs without fear or favour.
We should not wait for another tragedy before asking the same questions.
We should not wait for another six families to receive devastating news before taking road safety seriously.
The warning signs are there.
Sometimes, all that is required is for somebody to stop and say: This is dangerous. We should not do this.
That was the point of my September 1 article.
Today, I wish I had never had a reason to write it.
I wish yesterday’s tragedy had never happened.
I wish those six people were still alive and on their way home to their families.
But since we cannot change what happened, let us at least ensure that their deaths are not reduced to another condolence statement that will soon be forgotten.
May Almighty Allah forgive the shortcomings of the departed souls, grant them Jannatul Firdaus, give their families the strength to bear this irreparable loss, and grant the injured speedy and complete recovery.
And may this tragedy remind all of us of one simple truth:
The people who stand behind us politically are not cargo. If they matter enough to be mobilise, they matter enough to be protected.