The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has debunked claims that the ongoing renovation of the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State was responsible for the massacre which claimed five lives last Friday

The minister stated this while speaking with newsmen during a visit to the scene of the tanker fire with other officials of the Federal Ministry of Works.

Umahi also called on the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to construct checkpoints in order to monitor drivers driving under the influence of hard drugs or alcohol.

Recall that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, after receiving briefs from the relevant agencies, said five persons lost their lives, while a total of 120 vehicles were destroyed in the inferno, which he described as an avoidable carnage.