Edo: Truck rams into six vehicles, plunges three into Ikpoba River

 Tragedy was narrowly averted on Tuesday at the Ikpoba Hill axis of Benin City, Edo State, after an articulated truck with failed brakes rammed into six vehicles, sending three plunging into the Ikpoba River.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that while nobody died in the accident, six persons, however, sustained various degrees of injuries, as 20 others escaped unhurt.

Some witnesses said three vehicles plunged into the river.

The accident occurred two weeks after the Priest of Ikpoba River, Prince Udinyiwe Eweka, warned of the dire consequences of dredging the river without making the necessary appeasements to the goddess of the river.

Edo State Government, it would be recalled, had, last week, begun dredging the Ikpoba River as a way of providing a lasting solution to frequent flooding and river overflow in that axis of the Benin metropolis.

The Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbai, while speaking on the dredging activity, said the exercise would address the persistent flooding as well as harness the river’s potential to boost revenue.

But Prince Eweka, who oversees the priesthood of the Ikpoba River goddess, posited that adequate consultations must be made to the appropriate quarters to know what to give to the goddess for it to yield up the river and allow the dredging to be successful.

“This Ikpoba River has been here for decades. I grew up to meet the Ikpoba River here. We know that our past government tried to dredge the river. We knew what happened. It didn’t go well because we didn’t follow the rules and regulations of the river.

“We need to consult the gods on what they need before dredging the river. And some sacrifices need to be done before we carry out anything like that. It is not that we just go to river and start dredging; sometimes it might not work because of the power of the river.

“After our past Governor, Lucky, did his own, others tried to do the same, but all of them failed. No one worked because they didn’t do any sacrifice. So, they have to go out there to consult what Ikpoba N’ Ogi Eze needs and give them their needs before we start dredging.

“When we do that, everything will just work out fine without any disturbance. Because you give what belongs to Caesar to Caesar and give what belongs to God to God.” The priest cautioned

Confirming the accident, Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cyril Matthew Zango, however, said that nobody got drowned in the river as no vehicle plunged into it.

He added that the victims of the accident, which occurred on Monday, were taken to the hospital for treatment.

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