- Army is not aware- JTF Spokesman
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WARRI- High volume of fire outbreak occurred in a petrol tanker caused by an alleged gun shot by a soldier in the highway between Ughelli/Agbarho army check point, Ekrame village yesterday evening about 5;30 (Saturday) which claimed over 10 persons burnt to dead, including several cars both beyond recognition.
Daily Watch reliably gathered that a soldier attempted to stop a tanker carrying petroleum substances at the army check point between Ughelli/Agbarho communities. The tanker driver proved stubborn and was to escape from the soldier while the soldier opened several gun shots at the tanker and it ignited high volume of fire which caused the sudden dead of other road users at the checkpoint roasted to dead at the spot beyond recognition while several cars also burnt beyond repairs.
We could not ascertain whether the tanker driver and his conductor escaped the inferno.
Confirming the report, an eye witness, a female who narrowly escaped pleaded not to be named told Daily Watch in Warri that the corpses are still lying at the scene of the incident at the army check point near Ughelli, waiting for government or family members to pick them for the morgue or burial.
Also, a commercial tricycle driver, identified as Solomon David told our reporter that he saw the fire incident yesterday evening while the high volume of fire was burning at the army check point at Ekrame village along Ughelli/Agbarho high way. He said he saw people burning and struggling for survival inside their cars as there was no fire fighter to battle the fire.
His words ” I drove to the army checkpoint to see the fire out break , bros”, he quipped ” it was too high that we could not do anything to save lives. The soldiers were all helpless as people were dying before our eyes yesterday. I may not know the cause of the fire outbreak because the fire started for some minutes before I drove to the scene” he told Daily Watch.
When we called the spokesman of the joint task force (JTF) code named ”Pulo Shield” Captain Ibrahim Abubakar to confirm and react over the incidence, he said he was not aware of such development in Delta state and promised to get back to this reporter.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, we gathered that the scene of the incident is being visited by various persons to see whether they could get a clue to identify a family member as victim.
