By Ado Salisu
Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe, former Special Adviser on Strategy and Information Management to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has appealed for enhanced support for the families of seven journalists who lost their lives in a tragic road accident in Gombe State.
The journalists died on Monday, December 29, 2025, when a Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) bus conveying them from a wedding ceremony in Kaltungo Local Government Area crashed along the Gombe–Yola highway near Kumo town, Akko Local Government Area. A tyre burst was reportedly responsible for the accident.
Six of the victims were staff of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Gombe, while the seventh was an information officer with the Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). Four other journalists sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the incident, while the Gombe State Government approved ₦14 million as immediate assistance, disbursing ₦2 million to each bereaved family.
While commending the government’s prompt intervention, Gara-Gombe said the assistance was inadequate considering that the deceased journalists were family breadwinners.
“These men left behind widows and children whose future is now uncertain. Rent, school fees, food and daily survival remain pressing concerns,” he said.
Deeply moved by the condition of the widows, Gara-Gombe urged Governor Yahaya to approve additional financial support and grant scholarships up to university level for the children of the deceased.
He also called on the state government to provide a new bus for the NUJ Gombe State Council and complete the NUJ Secretariat in memory of the fallen journalists, proposing it be named “NUJ 7 Secretariat.”
As the state mourns the loss of its media professionals, Gara-Gombe expressed confidence that the governor would take further steps to honour their sacrifice and secure the future of their families.
