Ten people died in the wake of a road rage incident on Easter Sunday in Nigeria, after a motorist upset his path was blocked by members of the Boys Brigade marching in a church procession, drove his car through the crowd.

Local newspapers in Nigeria report that members of the Boys Brigade, an ecumenical scouting organization were taking part in a traditional procession in Gombe.

A driver, who was subsequently identified as an officer of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) pulled up to Alheri Junction in Gombe at approximately 1:00 am on the night of Sunday/Monday 21/22 April 2019.. He began to shout at the boys to move out of his way, and harsh words were exchanged. The Chairman of the State Battalion of the Boys Brigade, Isaac Kwadang, told reporters the car drove past the procession and then pulled off the road, turned off the headlamps, and discharged a female passenger.

After the procession passed the parked vehicle, witnesses report the officer then drove his car through the parade leaving eight boys dead and several dozen injured.

A crowd gathered round the Honda and the driver and his passenger, an off duty policeman, were pulled from the car and beaten to death.

The dead boys were members of the Evangelical Church Winning All parish in Barunde and from St Peter’s Anglican Church in Madaki, in Gombe State in Northeastern Nigeria. Church leaders in Gombe have urged calm in the wake of the killings, urging their members not to take the law into their own hands by attacking co-religionists of the dead driver.