At least 20 people were killed Friday afternoon when a truck, car, bus and motorcycle collided on the Hawan Kibo-Jos road in Nigeria's north-central Plateau state, authorities said.

Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the four vehicles were involved in the crash, which left 25 people in total affected. "Preliminary findings indicate brake failure and subsequent loss of control as the likely causes of the crash," FRSC spokesperson Osondu Ohaeri said in a statement. "The crash involved 25 people; 23 males and 2 females with five persons, comprising three males and two females, sustaining injuries, while 20 males sadly lost their lives."

Part of a persistent national problem

Road accidents remain frequent across Nigeria, where roads are often poorly maintained and traffic regulations widely flouted. According to FRSC statistics, 10,446 road accidents caused 5,289 deaths nationwide in 2025, and the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics recorded at least 1,347 road crash fatalities in the first quarter of 2026 alone. Friday's crash adds to a string of similarly severe multi-vehicle accidents in recent years, including a 2021 Kaduna state crash that killed 19 after a tyre burst, and an 18-death pile-up in Ogun state in 2025 triggered by a wrongful overtaking manoeuvre.