Horror day on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

The Lagos/Ibadan Expressway has been dubbed in some quarters as a highway of horror due to the frequent fatal auto accidents that have occurred there. This possibly explains why commuters usually engage in passionate prayer sessions before embarking on a journey through that seemingly accident-prone road

Penultimate Tuesday witnessed another ghastly accident on the expressway that claimed several lives, prompting unrestrained wailing from shocked road users and sympathisers. Even law enforcement agents appeared unsettled by the high fatality of the multiple accident which was accompanied by an inferno. Continue..

All the passengers and drivers of three vehicles involved were roasted to death. They were said to be journeying to an unknown destination, possibly to Lagos, when the accident occurred.

The incident also resulted to a traffic jam which lasted for hours. It was a development that many road users will not forget in a hurry as they groaned and cursed to no avail.

Indeed, many had initially thought it was caused by a robbery attack and quickly scampered to safety. It was later they learned it was a multiple auto crash resulting into an inferno that almost went beyond control.

Eye witnesses said some drivers also abandoned their cars and ran inside the bush for safety. It was only later they summoned courage to come out of hiding on learning the real cause of the gridlock.

But the tragedy was one nobody expected. It was about 3.30pm when a Cabstal bus which was heading towards Lagos around Danco pump station reportedly hit a pole. The impact left the bus with a severe damage and the driver and passengers severely injured.

As soon as the accident occurred, some law enforcement agents were said to have immediately moved to the scene on rescue mission. As this was ongoing, a Golf car with three passengers which was travelling on a high speed was said to have rammed into the damaged bus leading to an inferno which burnt all the passengers beyond recognition.

As if this was not enough, another lone occupant of a Coastal bus belonging to the Nigeria Post and Telecom Services, NIPOST, also rammed into the burning car leading to the driver’s death.

An eye witness said traffic law enforcement agents, including those of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, had immediately raced to the scene. However, even though the Ogun State and Federal Fire Services were alerted, they could not do much to save the situation as the victims were burnt beyond recognition before their arrival.

An eye witness, Mr Salako Adeola, said while some road users were lamenting the tragic incident, others profusely thanked God for sparing them.

The Public Relations Officer of TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the development to Vanguard Metro, urged road users to be careful at this point in time. Babatunde blamed the incident on over speeding, adding it would have been prevented if the drivers had observed traffic rules.