At least 10 persons have been confirmed dead, while three others sustained injuries in a lone crash involving a Mitsubishi bus on Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Expressway while a pre-dawn collision involving a 16-seater commercial Mazda bus and a DAF truck claimed the lives of eight passengers.
Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps in Ogun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
Akinbiyi said the accident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Ome Bridge, Awa, along Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan highway in Ijebu North Local Government Area.
He stated that the lone crash involved a Mitsubishi bus, registration number EJ829-LSR, which was conveying 15 passengers at the time.
According to Akinbiyi, seven male and three female passengers died. Three others were injured, while a toddler and one adult escaped unhurt.
He said preliminary findings indicate that over speeding and wrongful overtaking led to the accident.
“Eyewitnesses said the driver wrongly overtook another vehicle at high speed and could not regain control after noticing an oncoming vehicle.
“The driver veered off the road, hit an abandoned gravel pile beside the bridge, and plunged the vehicle into the river,” Akinbiyi explained.
He said the deceased were taken to Ijebu-Ode General Hospital’s morgue, while the injured were also being treated at the same facility.
The spokesperson urged motorists to avoid speeding and to refrain from travelling at night, always stressing the importance of road safety.
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The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Bakare-Oki said that the collision occurred at Atura Bus Stop, inbound Badagry, involving a 16-seater commercial Mazda bus, with registration number KJA 811 YF and a DAF truck, marked T1 4636 LA.
“The tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of eight passengers, including the driver of the ill-fated bus and his conductor, casting a sombre pall over the Badagry axis.
“LASTMA operatives, in concert with personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force (Morogbo Division), and the 244 Battalion of the Nigerian Army (Ibereko Barracks), swiftly launched a coordinated rescue operation at the accident scene.
“Their timely intervention led to the successful extraction of eight surviving passengers, all of whom sustained varying degrees of trauma.
“These casualties were immediately evacuated to the General Hospital in Badagry via an FRSC vehicle for critical medical attention,” he said.
The LASTMA boss said that preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the commercial bus lost control while navigating at a perilous speed, leading to a catastrophic collision with the DAF truck.
Bakare-Oki, who said he had visited the crash site to personally evaluate the situation, extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families for the loss.
“This heart-wrenching incident is a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the urgent need for all road users to embrace caution.
“No journey should end in such tragedy. May the Almighty grant the deceased eternal rest and console those left behind,” he said.
The official further consoled with the families of the survivors, wishing them a quick recovery.
He urged commercial and heavy-duty vehicle operators to avoid speeding, adhere strictly to safety protocols and ensure regular maintenance of their vehicles to avoid unnecessary fatalities.
He also emphasised the need for deployment of speed-limiting mechanisms at critical flashpoints across Lagos as part of government’s commitment to reducing road carnage, protecting commuters and fostering culture of compliance and safety.
NAN
