The Cross River State Police Command has confirmed the death of six persons and twenty-four other casualties arising from a car accident during the bikers parade of this year’s edition of Carnival Calabar.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Irene Ugbo confirmed the incident via a phone conversation with Radio Nigeria in Calabar.
According to the PPRO, all the other twenty-four casualties are responding to treatment in some medical facilities in the city.
Meanwhile, the State Governor Professor, Ben Ayade has expressed sadness over the incident where a reckless motorist drove into a crowd of spectators during the bikers parade along the Mary Slessor axis of the carnival route.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Christian Ita, indicates that the Governor deeply sympathized with the families of those who lost their lives to the incident.
While directing immediate investigations into the incident with a view to determining its cause and to bring the errant motorist, who was never accredited for any role in the event, to book.
However, some eye-witnesses who pleaded anonymity blamed the ugly incident on laxity on the part of security agents deployed to enforce protocol.
The Bikers parade was one of the major attractions preceding the flagship activity, Carnival Calabar, popularly christened Africa’s Biggest Street Party.
