A truck with a break failure has crushed six vehicles on the Ikpoba River bridge in Benin City, the Edo State.

Luckily, nobody died in the accident but six persons sustained injuries and 20 others escaped.

Some witnesses said three vehicles plunged into the river.

The accident occurred two weeks after the Priest of Ikpoba River, Prince Udinyiwe Eweka, warned of dire consequences of dredging the river without making necessary sacrifices to appease the river goddess.

Edo State Government had, last week, began dredging the river to provide lasting solution to frequent flooding and river overflow.

Edo Commissioner for Mining, Hon. Andrew Ijegbai, said the dredging would address persistent flooding as well as harness the river’s potential to boost revenue.

But Prince Eweka said consultations must be made to know what to give to the goddess for them to give way to the dredging.

According to him: “This Ikpoba River has been here for decades. I grew up to meet this Ikpoba River here. We know that our past government tried to dredge the river. We knew what happened. It didn’t go well because we didn’t follow the rules and the regulations of the river.

“We need to consult the gods on what they need before dredging the river. And some sacrifice needs to be done before we carry out anything like that. It is not that we just go to river and start dredging, sometimes it might not work because of the power of the river. After our past Governor, Lucky, did his own, others tried to do the same, but all of them failed. No one worked because they didn’t do any sacrifice. So they have to go out there to consult what Ikpoba N’ ogi Eze needs and give them their needs before we start dredging.

“When we do that, everything will just work out fine without any disturbance. Because you give what belongs to Caesar to Caesar, and give what belongs to God to God.”

Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Matthew Zango, confirmed the accident and said the victim were taken to the hospital for treatment.

He said nobody drowned in the river and no vehicle plunged into the river. (The Nation)