Mr Rindom Kumven, Delta Sector Commander of FRSC, disclosed this on Saturday in Asaba in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that a bus, marked DT 266 B28, enroute Asaba-Abraka, was trying to avoid a head on collision with an articulated vehicle when the accident occurred.
The sector commander said that the articulated vehicle was also trying to tow a broken down truck loaded with iron rods at the time of the incident.
He said that the driver of the bus, on sighting the barrier ahead, attempted to swerve to the other side of the road, but lost control in the process, as he ran into the articulated vehicle.
Kumven said that 14 persons died on the spot, while the FRSC officials rescued two others and took them to the Mother and Child Hospital at Issele-Uku.
The sector commander, however, said that one of them later died and the other had since been discharged.
In a related development, suspected sea pirates disrupted the fragile peace in Nembe community, in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State at the early hours of Saturday, killing no fewer than four soldiers and one policeman detailed to provide security in the area.
It was gathered that the unknown gunmen launched a surprise attack that caught the Joint Taskforce Base at Nembe waterfront napping, and shot dead four soldiers and one policeman in the coastal community.
The suspected pirates, it was reported, struck at about 1:a.m, and that they came in four 75 horsepower speed boats, but on getting close to the Joint Taskforce Base, put off their engines and began to paddle to ensure that soldiers were not alerted, then opened fire at Ogbolomabiri community waterfront very close to the JTF Base.
The pirates, however, overpowered the military formation and carted away two HP guns and other firearms from the JTF Base and faded into thin air.
JTF Spokesman, Lieutenant Colonial Isah Addo, confirmed the attack on their Nembe waterfront base, but noted that they were yet to confirm the number of soldiers that died, even as he (Isah) submitted that the casualties were on both sides.
However, it was gathered that agony resulting from the death of their colleagues forced the JTF to swiftly send more soldiers to comb the nooks and crannies of the community to apprehend the suspected pirates; while young men in the community quickly relocated to neigbhouring communities for fear of possible arrest by the JTF over the death of their colleagues.
It was gathered when the JTF got to the community, most of the young men had left the community, as they met aged grandfathers and mothers in the communities.
The bodies of the slain soldiers and policeman were conveyed in two ambulances, and have since been deposited in an undisclosed hospital.
State deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (retired), it was also learnt, led a team of government officials to Nembe communities to visualize what calamity had befallen the community, deserted by the young men for fear of been arrested, while aged people who could not flee their homes remained in the community.
He however condemned the attack and subsequent death of the four soldiers and policeman, describing it as not only barbaric but senseless for youths that had constituted themselves as gang of pirates to snuff out life from security operatives deployed to the area for their protection and wellbeing.
The state police command also confirmed the attack of the pirates, and the carting away of arms and ammunitions from the JTF Base at Nembe waterfront.
Police Public Relation Officer, ASP, Asinim Butswat told Sunday Tribune that a combined team of the JTF, Marine Police and the Navy were combing the creeks to recover the arms and arrest the culprits.
Also, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed the incident that happened at Nembe Jetty, adding that it was being investigated and that the Joint Task Force Operation PULO SHIELD had moved into action to arrest and apprehend the perpetrators of the callous attacks.
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