Sixteen Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) travelling to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Gombe State have died in a fatal motor accident.
Two others survived but are in critical condition at a hospital.
All the victims were graduates of Adeyemi Federal University of Education (AFUED), Ondo State, and were travelling in an 18-seater bus when the crash occurred.
Witnesses described the accident as devastating, saying the impact left only two survivors, both severely injured.
Emergency personnel recovered the bodies and moved the injured to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment.
As of the time of filing this report, the NYSC management had yet to issue an official statement.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has begun investigating the cause of the crash.
The tragedy has intensified national concerns over the safety of young graduates travelling long distances to their places of primary assignment.
Across university communities and social media, many Nigerians are demanding stricter travel protocols, improved oversight of transport vehicles used by PCMs, and a review of deployment procedures to reduce long, risky interstate journeys.