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From Paul Orude, Bauchi
Kani Ben of Channels Television has died after succumbing to injuries sustained in a road accident while covering the commissioning of projects by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in Bauchi State.
The accident occurred on February 7, when a bus conveying a team of journalists lost control and somersaulted several times. Another Channels Television reporter, Hajara Aliyu, narrowly escaped death in the incident.
Reacting to Ben’s death, the Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) described the incident as shocking. In a statement signed by the state secretary, Isah Garba Gadau, the union expressed its deepest sympathy to the immediate family of the deceased, the NUJ family and his associates.
“The death of our colleague, Kani Ben of Channels Television, who was one of the victims of the recent accident involving 13 journalists while covering an NEDC assignment in Bauchi, is deeply shocking,” the statement read.
“While we await arrangements for the burial from his family, we wish to announce the suspension of our planned congress meeting earlier scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, 16th February, until further notice.”
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Ben is the only fatality recorded so far in the accident, which involved journalists from Channels Television, African Independent Television (AIT), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), members of the Correspondents’ Chapel, as well as staff of the Bauchi State Television Authority (BATV) and the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC).
The accident occurred along the Yashi–Yelwan Duguri Road in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, shortly after the NEDC delegation — led by the Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, and accompanied by the Bauchi State deputy governor, Auwal Jatau — handed over the Government Secondary School (GSS) project in Yelwan Duguri to the Bauchi State Government.
The convoy had departed Yelwan Duguri en route to commission the Bara Bridge bordering Bauchi and Gombe States when the accident occurred a few minutes after the handover ceremony.
Some of the injured journalists, including Ben, were initially taken to Yelwan Duguri Hospital for emergency treatment before being transferred to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) and Bauchi Specialist Hospital for further medical attention.
Ben, who reportedly had a pre-existing heart condition and had undergone previous surgery, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His family, colleagues and sympathisers had been praying for his recovery before he eventually passed away.
