3 Dead, Many Injured in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Crash

LAGOS — At least three people, including a police inspector, have beenconfirmed dead following a multiple-vehicle crash involving five articulated trucks on the Kara Bridge, inward Mowe, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, who visited the scene on Thursday, confirmed the fatalities and ongoing rescue operations.

“We have a case of multiple accidents at the border between Ogun and Lagos State. Five articulated vehicles were involved. So far, three people have been rescued,” Ishola told journalists at the scene.

He said emergency response teams, including personnel from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other security agencies, had been on site since 5 a.m.working to clear the wreckage and restore traffic flow.

Preliminary investigations, according to the police commissioner, indicated that the accident was caused by a trailer that suffered brake failure.

“At the beginning, we discovered that one of the trailers failed its brakes. It is important that all drivers ensure proper vehicle maintenance to prevent such tragedies,” he said.

Ishola also confirmed the death of a police inspector who was part of the advance team responding to the incident.

“It’s very unfortunate that we lost one of our police inspectors who came with our advance team to salvage the situation,” he stated.

The commissioner expressed deep concern over the reckless driving habits of some trailer operators, noting that negligence and poor vehicle maintenance were major contributors to fatal road accidents.

“We want road users, especially those driving articulated vehicles, to stop this kind of recklessness. If they were more careful, we wouldn’t have such accidents,” he warned.

As of press time, rescue and recovery operations by the police, FRSC, LASTMA, and other emergency agencies were still ongoing.