14 crushed to death as bus overruns robbery victims in Nigeria - Fourteen passengers, including a child, were crushed to death when a speeding bus overran them as they were forced to lie face down on the road by armed robbers who waylaid their bus along the Abuja-Lokoja highway in Nigeria's central Kogi state Tuesday, according to the private daily, The Nation, on Wednesday.

Quoting the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Mr. Sunday Maku, the paper said as the passengers, who were travelling from the capital city of Abuja to the economic capital city of Lagos, in a luxury bus operated by Chisco Transport were being searched by the robbers, an unsuspecting driver of another luxury bus ran over them.

The accident occurred around 5am local time.

Mr. Maku said the remains of six of the victims were deposited at the Lokoja Specialist Hospital in the Kogi capital, while the bodies of eight others were taken to the Federal Medican Centre, also in Lokoja.

Kogi police spokesman Ajayi Okesanmi said the police were combing the suspects' 'hideouts' while the driver of the bus that overran the robbery victims has been taken into custody.

The FRSC has warned operators of luxury buses to stop their vehicles from travelling overnight to avoid falling victims to armed robbers.

Pana 04/08/2011