A tipper driver and his conductor have been burnt to death by a mob after they crushed three persons in an accident.
*Photo used for illustrative purpose
According to The Nation, among the three victims was a pregnant woman. The incident happened at Osholo village in Etsako East local government area in Edo State.
Eye witnesses said the tipper was heading towards Weppa community when it ran into a crowd, killed three persons and injured several others. The witnesses said the driver and his conductor attempted to take the injured to a nearby hospital and carry the dead when members of Osholo community descended on them.
Both the driver and the conductor were killed and thrown into their tipper and set it ablaze.
However, residents of Weppa community where the driver and conductor hail from invaded Osholo and set some houses ablaze for killing their own. The outcome was a fierce communal clash.
An intervention by security agencies prevented the crisis from degenerating to full communal clash. State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ejike, who confirmed the incident, said five persons died in the incident. Ejike noted that a combined police team was drafted to the area to stop further destruction of properties.
He described the killing of the driver and conductor as barbaric and added that investigation has commenced into the matter.