A bus crash on a Nigerian highway killed 21 athletes returning from a national sports tournament, with authorities saying the crash might have been the result of driver fatigue or excessive speed.

The athletes were returning to Kano, in Nigeria’s north, from the 22nd National Sports Festival, held around 1000km to the south, in Ogun state.

President Bola Tinubu recently said the Games, which included sports ranging from wheelchair basketball to traditional West African wrestling, represented “the unity, strength and resilience that define us as a nation”.

Road crashes are common on Nigeria’s poorly maintained roads, largely because of speeding and a disregard for traffic rules.

Last year, Nigeria recorded 9570 road accidents that resulted in 5421 deaths, according to Federal Road Safety Corps data.

– Agence France-Presse