Car crash into street party in Nigeria leaves 7 dead

An out-of-control car crashed into a crowd at a large street party in southern Nigeria on Tuesday, leaving seven people dead and many others injured, authorities told The Associated Press.

The driver lost control of the car on a packed street in Calabar, Cross River State capital, just as people were gathering to watch a bikers parade at the Calabar carnival, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps said.

Tuesday’s bikers show is one of the main highlights of the carnival event known as one of Africa's biggest street parties. The annual carnival has regularly drawn people from across Nigeria and beyond since it began nearly two decades ago.

Thousands had gathered to watch the bikers’ stunts when the car smashed into people, scattering bodies and leaving the injured along the road, witnesses said.

Hassan Abdullahi Maikano, head of the road safety corps in Cross River, told AP that the car was traveling at high speed when it ran through security controls.

“The motorist lost control and ran into the crowd. The total number involved were 36; seven died and 29 got injured,” said Maikano, adding five of the injured were children. The driver survived but was injured, he added.

Cross River Gov. Ben Ayade ordered the parade canceled and the driver placed under arrest, according to Christian Ita, his spokesman.

Ita said the governor has extended his sympathies to the victims and their families and ordered an immediately investigation into how the crash occurred.

By Chinedu Asadu, AP

How a grandmother in Nigeria became an internet start

Hamsatu Izang sings out as she hammers rocks into small gravel pieces for the construction industry. Singing brings her joy and peace, she says, amid this hard manual labour. But when a local music producer hears her song, her life takes a surprising turn and a whole new world opens up. This film follows Mama Hamsatu as she navigates two very different realities, her work as a lifelong stone crusher and a new role as a singing star, in the hope that her new success might bring lasting change. Dorcas Sheffy Bello is a multimedia journalist and filmmaker from Jos, Nigeria. She is the founder of Unzipped Stories Africa, and has won awards for scriptwriting and reporting. Her documentary on polio, Not All Darkness, has won many regional plaudits. 

Al Jazeera 

Related story: Nigerian kids 'Ikorodu Bois' get Hollywood invite after recreating movie trailer

 

Video - Makoko faces new threat

Makoko is located in the country's commercial city of Lagos and is mainly inhabited by a fishing community that has lived there for about a century. Residents fear they could be evicted by the government to pave way for new development.

CGTN

Christmas spirited dampened in Nigeria due to economic hardship

Christmas is marked with joyous celebrations as in most parts of the world. Shopping, sharing of gifts, traveling and other activities mark the Christmas season. This year is however witnessing muted celebrations due to economic hardships.

CGTN

Dance carnival in Nigeria helps residents reclaim streets

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a street in a poor neighbourhood of Lagos, a bare-chested young man, Gift Eze, holds his screaming partner, helping calm the rage within and stop him fighting.

Residents of Oworonshoki have seen their share of violence, with robberies and tit-for-tat gang murders once commonplace in this part of Nigeria's vast, boisterous commercial capital.

But the scene on Christmas Eve, a dance routine between two men caked in chalk, showed how far the community has come since the annual Slum Party, an art event using dance to tell stories of the local community, was established four years ago.

Days of dance workshops culminated with an all-day carnival aiming to reclaim the streets and reduce tensions between rival gangs. Before long, onlookers were dancing along with the drums, blurring the lines between performers and their audience.

"We are using dance as a focal point ... to come to the community and just talk about the various socio-political issues that needed to be addressed, using a party as the template," said Sunday Ozegbe-Obiajulu, who founded the event.

Eze, one of the Slum Party's participants, said the event has been transformational.

"I've been able to achieve a big goal in my life, and Slum Party has really changed a whole lot for me," he said.

Community leader Oriyomi Akeem said Slum Party has helped bring peace to a neighbourhood once known as a no-go area overrun by gangs. "Now everything is calm and good," Akeem said.

Ozegbe-Obiajulu hopes the carnival's success could be replicated by people in other troubled areas of Nigeria and beyond.

"With their dance, their poetry, their music, they can definitely use it to bring some sort of attention to their community, they can also use it to inspire the young ones." 

By Seun Sanni, Reuters