By Okhide Em’ya David…
It was a historical black Friday January 15, 2021 as Fifteen Persons, including nine adults and six children lost their lives in two separate vehicular accidents at Arue-Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area and Agbede in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria.
The accident at Arue-Uromi which was said to have claimed the lives of six children, including four girls and two boys, of the same family occurred when a Mercedes Benz car in an attempt to avoid a pothole, swerved off the road and crashed into and killed them on the spot.
The Children were said to be playing football in their Compound.
The incident reportedly provoked anger, prompting the community youths to block the road and began to protest first against recklessness of many drivers on that route and sustained failure by government to effect repairs on the massively failed portions of roads across Edo Central Senatorial District.
The Mercedes Benz saloon car was burnt down by the irate youths while the driver escaped.
Meanwhile the Agbede accident was said to involve many vehicles, including a petrol tanker, a Toyota Sienna bus and two other vehicles, resulting the death of eight males and one female.
Several other passengers were also said to have sustained various degrees of severe injuries.
Commander, Edo State Sector of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Henry Benameisia, attributed the accident to break failure by the tanker, and overspending by the Sienna bus.
