Ten people died and six others were injured in a road crash at the Saapade bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed.
The Ogun State Sector Command said the crash involved a white Sinotruk truck with an unknown registration number and a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number EKY 290 YM. Corps spokesperson Afolabi Odunsin said 18 people were involved in total, 15 adult males, two adult females and one male child. Of these, 10 died, comprising nine adult males and one male child, while six others, four adult males and two adult females, sustained varying degrees of injury. Two adult males escaped unhurt.
Preliminary investigation traced the cause to speed violation, wrongful overtaking and dangerous driving. According to the Corps, the truck driver reversed on the highway after missing his direction, and the approaching bus, travelling at high speed, tried to navigate the limited space available and rammed into the truck.
FRSC rescue operatives arrived promptly and evacuated the injured to Victory Hospital, Ogere, while the deceased were deposited at FOS Mortuary, Ipara. The Nigeria Police Force’s Ishara Division has taken custody of the crashed vehicles pending their evacuation.
Sector Commander Oludare Ogunjobi commiserated with the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery, while warning motorists, particularly commercial drivers and truck operators, against reversing on highways, excessive speeding and other dangerous driving practices. The Ogun Sector Command urged road users to obey traffic rules, maintain safe speeds, and use designated turning points when they miss their routes, saying such precautions could prevent needless loss of life on Nigerian highways.
