The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has given an account of how former Minister of Internal Affairs, Senator John Shagaya died.
Shagaya, retired Brigadier-General, died on Sunday in a road accident on Langtang-Pankshin Road in Plateau State.
In a statement, FRSC spokesman Bisi Kazeem, said the Plateau State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain was on his way to Jos when his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) crashed into a tree around 2:25pm.
He said: “An FRSC team from Langtang Unit Command was at the scene of the crash almost immediately after the crash.
“He was travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep with his driver and an orderly from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“Preliminary report indicates that the driver lost control and hit a tree making the General to sustain a head injury that eventually led to his death.
“The two injured aides of the General are currently in Pankshin General Hospital while the body of General Shagaya has been deposited at the Air Force Hospital Mortuary in Jos.”
The details were similar to what the public had already learnt in news reports of the incident on Sunday evening.
Kazeem said FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, had given his condolences to the family “while appealing to other motorists to always avoid whatever could cause mishap on the highways.”
Shagaya served as minister of internal affairs under military President Ibrahim Babangida, and represented Plateau South in the senate from 2007-2011.
He was recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman of the Board of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru near Jos.
The APC has mourned the passing of Senator Shagaya.
The party said Shagaya, who died at the age of 76 was a great loss to the country.
“We recall his excellent service during his sub-regional assignment as Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Commander. The late Shagaya also had distinguished tenures as Minister during the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida military regime and Senator between 2007 and 2011, when he moved several motions and initiated bills for the good of the country.
“Indeed, the passage of Shagaya is a great loss to the country, but we are consoled by the fact that he had a meaningful and impactful life as a soldier, an administrator and lately as a politician, who was driven by the virtues of unity, patriotism, and selflessness,” the APC said in the statement.
Senate Presiden, Bukola Saraki, expressed sadness over Shagaya,’s death.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki described the late Shagaya as a “fine officer and gentleman” who during his lifetime, gave his all in the service of his country, both as a soldier and politician.
“Shagaya would be remembered for his meritorious service to the country and the West African sub-region as an active member of the Nigerian Armed Forces,”
“As a politician, he was elected to represent Plateau South Senatorial District in the 6th Senate where he contributed to various legislations aimed at enhancing the nation’s democracy. He was the Chairman, Governing Board of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru in Jos,” he stated.
President of the Senate commiserated with the immediate family of the deceased and the government and people of Plateau State over the irreparable loss, while calling on the Federal Government to immortalize the late army General.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the death of Shagaya as “shocking.”
In a message to Governor Simon Lalong, Obasanjo condoled with the governor and family of the late Shagaya.
“I was shocked to receive the sad news of tragic death of Senator John Nanzip Shagaya.
“He served his country meritoriously as a soldier, a military administrator and a lawmaker before he died after a tragic road accident.
“He will be sorely missed by his family, his community and his colleagues in the Senate and surely by his State and his friends and former colleagues in the military.
“May his soul rest in perfect peace and may God console his family, friends and peers,” Obasanjo said.