Ikesima Brown, the Nigerian singer who was known as the Niger Delta Queen of Highlife Music, has lost her life in a tragic accident along with six other members of a prominent Ijaw musical band led by Chief Barrister Smooth.
The accident happened on Sunday, June 11, when their bus collided with a petrol tanker on the Abuja/Lokoja highway and Kwale community in Delta State.
The band members were on their way from Warri to Abuja for a show that was scheduled for Tuesday, June 13.
They had been hired by a state government to perform at the swearing-in reception of some National Assembly members in Abuja. An eyewitness said that the band members had taken a train from Warri to Kogi and then boarded a Toyota Siena car to Abuja when the fatal crash occurred.
The names of the deceased musicians were given as Chief Joseph Ekeremieye, Ikesima Brown, Ebis Awiki, Tuku, and others. Their bodies have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja.
The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has expressed his deep sadness over the twin accidents that claimed the lives of no fewer than 10 Ijaw indigenes. He described the incident as a Black Sunday for Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation, saying that the state has been thrown into mourning.
The governor also commiserated with the families of the deceased and Barrister Smooth, saying that the death of the young talents who were impacting lives through their music was a great loss to the state and the nation. He prayed for God’s consolation for the bereaved families and quick recovery for those who were injured.
He said, “In one of the crashes along the Kogi-Abuja road, six band members of a popular Ijaw musician, Barrister Smooth, died while the other accident along the Kwale-Asaba highway in Delta State claimed four supporters of the Bayelsa Queens Football Club.
“On behalf of the government and people of Bayelsa State, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased.
“I also commiserate with the leader of the band, Barrister Smooth.
“These are very unfortunate and sad incidents that claimed the lives of our active youths.
“It is a great loss to our state and the Ijaw nation as young talents and bread winners following their passion had suddenly departed.
“I pray that the Lord consoles the families for the painful loss that they have suffered. I also pray for quick healing and recovery for those that were injured.”
