By Fidelis Soriwei, BeninThe carnage in the nation's roads continued again on Sunday as another accident resulted in the deaths of 18 passengers on Benin-Ore Road.The accident occurred a few days after the death of over 50 people in an auto accident involving a luxury bus and a tanker at the Benin-Auchi Road.Our correspondent gathered that an 18-seater Toyota Hiace vehicle in which the deceased passengers were travelling plunged into the Ovia River just after the Okada junction.According to an eyewitness account, efforts made by motorists and others to rescue the trapped passengers were unsuccessful as they lacked the capacity to drag the submerged bus out of the river.The Good Samaritans were said to have watched helplessly as the passengers were drowned inside the bus.The source added that nobody, including the driver, was able to escape from the vehicle at the time of filing this report.The Benin Zonal Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr. Zakari Nda, confirmed the accident, saying that his men were already on a rescue mission.He did not, however, confirm the casualty figure of the accident, saying he had not been briefed by his commander on ground.Investigation revealed that the driver of the ill-fated vehicle was heading for Benin from the Ore when it plunged into the river.The accident is coming shortly after about 66 people died in two separate auto accidents on the Benin-Auchi Road last week.While 16 market women lost their lives in the first accident which occurred on the Benin-Auchi Road on their way to Onitsha, over 50 people were killed in the second accident involving a tanker and a luxury bus loaded with passengers from Sokoto to Onitsha on Friday.Nda, who confirmed both accidents, said that while it was difficult to give the exact number of those killed in the latter accident, 43 burnt corpses were given mass burial in Benin on Friday evening.Meanwhile, about 10 people were feared killed in South in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State over a lingering chieftaincy dispute in the community.Our correspondent gathered that several other people were injured in the resumed hostilities between two cousins - Messrs Kelvin Danesi and Obebe Umoru - over Aidonogie of South Ibie chieftaincy tussle.According to an eyewitness account, several houses and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed during the clash between the supporters of the two principal actors in the crisis.It was learnt that crisis had been on for over 10 years and had once been put under control through the intervention of eminent groups like the Ibie Peace Forum based in Lagos in 2007.The source said the resumed violence, which commenced in the evening of Saturday, continued Sunday and had not abated at the time of filing the report.Our correspondent could not also ascertain what actually led to the recent crisis, but a source disclosed that the group loyal to Umoru was angry about the plans being made to mark the 10th year anniversary of Danesi, who is recognised by the state government.Speaking in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in the Edo State Police Command, Mr. Clement Adoda, said that the situation had been brought under control.He said that the command had drafted riot policemen and the men of the Police Area Command in Auchi to the community.
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