Family Seeks Justice After Nigerian Student Dies in Canada Bus Crash

The family of Omotayo Samuel-Pepple, a 49-year-old Nigerian studying Human Resource Management at the University of Manitoba, is demanding answers after she died from injuries sustained when a bus struck her at a Winnipeg bus stop on September 16. 

Samuel-Pepple suffered severe internal injuries and multiple fractures, underwent three surgeries, but later went into cardiac arrest and died. Her sister, Mary Oloyede, questioned whether the bus driver was impaired and criticized the eight-hour delay before the family was informed, despite the victim being conscious and communicating at the scene. 

Oloyede urged police to hold the driver accountable and called on the public to provide dashcam footage or information to help clarify what happened. The tragedy has also raised concerns about communication lapses, with Manitoba’s Shared Health defending its policy of prioritizing emergency care before contacting relatives, while Winnipeg police stressed that family notification is a priority but can face delays due to identification and logistical challenges. 

Samuel-Pepple, who moved to Canada in 2024, had planned to bring her husband and three children — aged 14, 17, and 21 — from Nigeria before the accident cut her dreams short. She is survived by her husband, children, and mother, all struggling to cope with the sudden loss. 

Their deaths, occurring just days apart, have cast a shadow over Nasarawa’s academic and medical communities, leaving colleagues, students, and the wider public deeply saddened.