The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, James Ocholi, his wife, one of his sons and one other person, on Sunday, died in an auto crash on Kaduna-Abuja highway.
His wife died later, as she was initially in a critical condition, but others died on the spot.
The accident was said to have occured when the minister was returning from a journey to Kaduna with members of his family.
It was learnt that one of the tyres of the SUV conveying him burst on high speed and the car sumersaulted before running into another SUV in the convoy.
The impact of the accident was said to be so severe that the minister and his son died on the spot, while his wife and the driver of his vehicle were initially rushed to Doka Clinic, a village near Kaduna.
Confirming, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), through the Head, Media and Strategy, Mr Bisi Kaseem said, all the victims had been taken to National Hospital, Abuja.
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Siriki, who also confirmed the incident in a tweet, said the crash occurred on Sunday afternoon in Kaduna State.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, expressed shock and sadness over the tragic death of Ocholi.
In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, in Abuja, Buhari described the death as untimely, regretting that Nigeria had lost a key component of the change agenda.
“Barrister Ocholi was an accomplished and patriotic Nigerian, who was keen to accept the call to service at a time his country needed him,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)
A terrible tragedy and great loss to our Nation. May the soul of the departed rest in peace.