Residents of Sokponba Road, Benin City, Edo State, were thrown into mourning on Tuesday as an early morning accident reportedly claimed the lives of nine persons. PUNCH Metro gathered from a source that the accident occurred at Ogbelaka Junction, where a tipper, loaded with sand, collided with two buses conveying passengers. According to eyewitnesses, the tipper involved in the accident was trying to overtake another tipper, but lost control and collided with the two minibuses, killing the commuters on the spot. The accident caused a traffic jam, as the exit routes to Asoro Street, Eri and Ogbelaka were blocked, leaving commuters to trek long distances to their destinations. While witnesses claimed to have counted nine corpses at the scene, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Bello Kontongs, said four persons died in the accident.

Source: Punch September 21, 2021 23:15 UTC