Tricycle kills masquerade during festival 

The annual Imo Awka Festival in Awka, Anambra State, has recorded its first casualty as a tricycle (Keke NAPEP) crushed a masquerade to death on Sunday.

The incident occurred while the masquerade was moving along the road. According to eyewitnesses, the tricycle operator was immediately arrested.

“One masquerade was hit by a Keke NAPEP on Sunday, and his head was crushed. It was indeed a sad development,” an eyewitness recounted.

The Imo Awka Festival, which attracts visitors from within and outside Nigeria, is set to officially begin on May 19 and climax on May 24.

In past celebrations, the police implemented measures to control movement during the festival, but it is unclear if those measures are still in place this year.

The festival typically lasts about a week, with masquerades taking to the streets to entertain crowds in the days leading up to the main event. Previous editions have witnessed incidents of fatalities, raising questions about the safety of the celebrations.