By peterside Rejoice Eneky
Five persons lost their lives on Wednesday, while nine others sustained injuries in multiple road accidents along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Public Education Officer of the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Florence Okpe, confirmed the incidents in a statement issued in Abeokuta.
According to Okpe, the first crash occurred at the Car Park C section of the expressway and involved a yellow Mazda bus and an ash-coloured Howo truck.
She explained that the truck lost control due to brake failure and rammed into the bus as the bus was attempting to make a turn.
“The crash involved two vehicles: a yellow Mazda bus with number plate LGB465XA and an ash Howo truck with no registration number,” Okpe said.
“A total of 12 persons were involved seven male adults and five female adults. Two male adults and three female adults were killed, while five male adults and two female adults sustained injuries.”
The injured were taken to Famobis Hospital in Mowe, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at Idera Morgue.
Okpe identified speeding, brake failure, and loss of control as the suspected causes of the crash.
In a separate incident near the NASFAT junction, two persons were injured and six vehicles were destroyed when a petrol-laden tanker overturned, spilled its contents, and caught fire.
Eyewitnesses said the tanker fell while attempting a turn and exploded shortly after.
Confirming the development, spokesman of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the casualties were initially meant to be taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), but were diverted to Famobis Hospital at Lotto due to traffic congestion.
“Two male casualties were at the scene of the tanker fire at NASFAT junction. They were eventually taken to Famobis Hospital,” Akinbiyi said.
Later in the day, another traffic disruption occurred around Ogere Bridge, where a fuel tanker fell on one side of the expressway and an 18-tyre truck conveying stones fell on the other side.
The series of incidents led to significant traffic gridlock, with emergency responders, including firefighters, deployed to manage the situation.
Motorists experienced long delays, with some vehicles stranded for hours and others forced to find alternative routes.
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