Five persons, four of them children, have lost their lives following a devastating crash involving a fuel tanker and a commercial tricycle, popularly called Keke Napep, in Ibelebiri, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The fatal accident happened on Wednesday afternoon along the Ibelebiri axis of the Yenegwe–Okarki–Ibelebiri–Otuasega road, plunging the largely agrarian and fishing community into grief.
Residents said the victims were pupils of a school in Otuasega Community who were on their way home when the tragedy struck.
A tanker, believed to have experienced brake failure, reportedly veered off course and rammed into the tricycle conveying the children.
The tricycle rider, said to be a relative who routinely conveyed them, also died in the crash.
An eyewitness recounted that one of the children had safely crossed to their residence moments earlier when the tanker, branded with the NNPC logo, smashed into the Keke, killing the occupants instantly before any could flee.
The tanker driver allegedly escaped from the scene, while the conductor was arrested by military personnel stationed nearby and subsequently handed over to the police.
An official of the Federal Road Safety Corps, who requested anonymity, praised local youths for calmly securing the tanker and preventing the situation from degenerating.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Bayelsa State Police Command, DSP Musa Mohammed, said a full investigation has commenced.
“Investigation is ongoing into the case of a fatal motor accident that occurred at Ibelebiri, involving a tanker and a tricycle, in which five lives were lost,” he said.
