By Newsmata
It was a horrific sight opposite the University of Benin, Ugbowo, along the Benin-Lagos Expressway on Tuesday morning as a hit-and-run trailer driver crushed to death two members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria.
One of the deceased who was identified as Mustapha through his identity card and the other whose identity was unknown, had their heads crushed beyond recognition by the truck.
They were said to be riding on a motorcycle when they were run over by the trailer which did not stop after the accident.
One of the many hawkers who thronged the scene of the tragic incident, said the accident happened in a flash as it was not clear whether the men were trying to stop the trailer when they were crushed.
The hawker said: “The accident happened all of a sudden. The trailer was on its way to Lagos and before we realised what was happening, the men were lying on the road lifeless with their heads crushed.
“No one could say if the vigilantes were trying to stop the trailer when the accident happened. It is so sad that these men had to lose their lives in this manner”.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, superintendent of police, (SP) confirmed the incident and said efforts were on to get more information from the Divisional Police Officer of the area, who was on official duty.
He said, “It is true that the accident happened and that the men died in the process. However, I am waiting for more information from the DPO of the area who is on official duty.”
Their corpses have since been deposited at the morgue of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).