The annual Calabar carnival has turned bloody on Tuesday as a vehicle has rammed into the crowd of participants killing no fewer than 5 persons.
A Camry car was said to have lost control and rammed into the crowd of bikers.
The Bikers’ Carnival is one of the innovations brought into the Calabar Carnival by Governor Ben Ayade to add colour and panache to the annual festival introduced by former Governor Donald Duke in 2004 .
Witness said shortly after the Bikers’ parade was flagged off about 5:00pm, one of the Camry car on the parade, sped off from Eleven-Eleven Round-About along Calabar Road heading to Mary Slessor, one of the adjucation points, and lost control and rammed into the crowd around the Central Mosque at Bogobiri nad killed anout 5 persons on the spot.
The witness further said after about 20 minutes of the the incident a other five gave up the ghost while others died on the way to hospital and a few died at various hospitals they were rushed to.
He said l those affected are some members of Hausa community, passers-by and shop owners who came for one business or the other around the Bogobiri axis.
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According to the witness, the incident created pandemonium as people ran helter shelter for safety following reaction by Hausa community whose people were mostly affected.
As at the time of filling this report, the corpses have been evacuated while the injured persons numbering over 10 have been rushed to soem hospitals for medical attention.
Some youths were seen rampaging on the streets even as some security men were seen firing as the youths rampaged.
https://twitter.com/nporeports/status/1607846243501219840?s=46&t=9IksxJ2H-on-fsdkN5GESQGovernor Ben Ayade ordered a stop to the carnival ordering investigations into the tragedy.
NPO Reports gathered that the Camry car was not accredited for the event giving insinuations over the motive behind the presence of the car at the event.