Eye witness accounts revealed that the petrol tanker which was travelling from Niger State, was driving on the wrong side of the road which resulted in a head-on collision with a heavy-duty truck from Lagos State.
The collision, it was further gathered, ignited a fire that rapidly consumed both vehicles and also affected the 18-seater bus which was also coming from Lagos.
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Stephen Dawulung, confirmed the accident to our correspondent on Wednesday, adding that he would provide the details later.
Advertisement
He said that some of the corpses recovered from the scene had been buried by their relatives.
The incident which was also confirmed by the Kwara State Director, Fire Service, Mr. John Falade, said that firemen responded to a fire at the village at about 3.18 p.m. on Tuesday.
“On November 28, 2023, around 15:18 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire at Peke village along Oko-Olowo Bode-Saadu Expressway in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State.
Advertisement
“The firemen diligently worked to quench the inferno, but unfortunately, 25 lives were lost, and around 15 people were rescued with injuries,” he said.
Falade expressed deep sorrow over the incident that claimed many lives and stressed the need for road users to prioritise safe driving practices.
He also warned drivers and other road users to adhere to safety measures consistently when driving on the roads.
Tragedy struck, in the early hours of Tuesday, at the Amarata suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital as seven persons lost their lives after inhaling fumes from power generating set (generator) placed inside a music studio.
The incident, occured along Transformer Road, Amarata in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
According to some residents, the deceased were working in the recording studio, owned by one of them, identified as Akpos Barakubo.
They were said to have worked late into the night on Monday using a generator due to the poor power supply situation in the state and may have slept off leaving the generator running in the studio lacking Ng proper ventilation.
It was learned that six of the victims were discovered dead Tuesday morning while one who was unconscious was rushed to the hospital but later gave up the ghost.
Some of the victims were said to be students of the Niger Delta University (NDU), who are into the recording business to help themselves in school.
Advertisement
Security operatives had condoned off the area as at press time with the corpses evacuated and deposited at the morgue.
A resident, simply identified as Damion blamed the tragic incident on the poor power supply situation in the state.
He said: “If there was public power supply maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this circumstances.
Advertisement
“Seven able-bodied young men just died like that because of the failure of government. The most annoying thing is that tomorrow, the PHED personnel will come with ladder to disconnect light that they are not supplying. How can people be spending their money in fueling generators despite the current hardship in Nigeria, even after paying for light bills?”
Attempt to get the reaction of the Spokesman of the state police command, ASP Musa Muhammed, proved abortive as his mobile phone line was not going through.
A popular pastor, Stanley Ogbonna, has allegedly driven his estranged wife, Chioma, and six children out of their house in Abuja.
Ogbonna, a General Overseer of the God’s Spring Assembly, also known as Glass Church, Kubwa, Abuja, was said to be in an unsettling relationship with his wife, which led to their divorce.
He was accused of telling the court he had sold his properties to prevent the embattled wife from having a share of his wealth.
Advertisement
In a clip that went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, Chioma was seen accusing the pastor of infidelity and domestic abuse, among others.
She narrated how she had suffered with the pastor for over 18 to 19 years with six children and how the husband had packed his properties out of the house while sleeping around with different women.
Properties thrown out
She said, “See him, God will help me. This is a pastor. Look at him. This is the pastor, Stanley Ogbonna. He called the police and evicted me and the children out of the house.
“Look at me, look at my properties all outside unannounced. We were in the house this afternoon; he just came to the house with the police and threw my things away. He already packed his things out of the house for years, sleeping around.
Advertisement
Pastor Stanley Ogbonna
“Today, he has come to disgrace me after labouring with him for 18 years, 19 years. See what the General Overseer of God’s Wing Assembly, Glass Church, Kubwa, is doing. I’m his wife, who laboured with him for 19 years.
“The world needs to come into this and give me justice for suffering me for all these years after giving him six children. His last child is a four-year-old.
“Look at me outside and my properties. He feels nobody will speak for me. Jehovah will speak for me,” Chioma added.
Efforts to reach the pastor and the church to discuss the wife’s allegation proved abortive. The church’s inquiry number was unreachable, and the mail sent has not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.
On April 18, the church held a programme titled “Happy Birthday in perfect grace” to celebrate Ogbonna’s birthday.
He said the suspect who is a native of Ekakpamre Community in Ughelli North LGA opened fire on the police operatives upon sighting them.
Advertisement
According to SP Edafe, “In the ensuing gun duel, the suspect sustained serious gunshot injuries and was taken to the General Hospital Ughelli where he died while receiving treatment.”
He said, “Efforts are being intensified to arrest other gang members as contained in the intel.”