Vehicles crush two ‘brothers’ to death in Delta

Elo Edremoda, Warri

Two persons, reportedly brothers, were crushed to death in an accident involving a motorcycle, a commercial bus, and an SUV along Owhelogbo Road, Isoko North council area of Delta State, Wednesday.

The deceased, the rider and passenger of the motorcycle, are said to be brothers who were on their way to buy a goat for a thanksgiving ceremony, this weekend.

“You know Oleh people have been protesting since Tuesday, over the murder of 12 indigenes, so they blocked the major road. The two brothers were going to buy a goat to use for thanksgiving this weekend.

“An Agofure vehicle ran into them and tore them to pieces. So some angry community youths set the Agofure bus ablaze,” a community source told The Nation.

According to reports, the SUV, a Toyota Highlander, and the commercial bus rammed into the motorcycle, instantly killing the victims.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said that the commercial bus and SUV were set on fire by angry youths in the area.

She added that operatives of the command were on the ground evacuating the debris and restoring calm to the area, as of the time of filing this report.

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However, it was gathered that the accident was a result of the blocking of the major road linking Ozoro and Oleh communities by protesters.

The protesters reported to be mostly women from Oleh community in Isoko South council area, were protesting the purported release of some suspects arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of 12 of their kinsmen on October 16.

The protesters had called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, for justice to be delivered without delay before the matter escalates.

Recall that the 12 persons were reported to have been hired to work at Ada farmland, but were slaughtered over a purported land dispute between Oleh and Ozoro people.

The protest reportedly started Tuesday morning, with the protesters barricading the major road linking the Isoko area and leading to vehicles plying the Ughelli/Asaba Road to seek alternative routes through Owhelogbo Road.

Several passengers were said to be stranded at Ozoro on Wednesday, as commercial and private vehicles were not allowed to drive in and out of the two communities, while the journey of two hours is said to have been tripled.