Seven people have died and two others were injured in a Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash. It happened in the early hours of Monday near Kara, on the Ogun State section of the corridor.
The Federal Road Safety Corps said the crash occurred at about 12:03 a.m. Three vehicles were involved. They were a white HOWO CNG/CIMC ENRIC truck, a white MACK trailer and a Mitsubishi Canter bearing the registration number JJJ920YA.
According to the Ogun State Sector Command of the FRSC, all nine people caught up in the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash were male. Seven of them died at the scene. Two others were injured and rushed for medical treatment.
Officers from the FRSC’s Ibafo Outpost were alerted shortly after the collision. They arrived within about five minutes. The corps has classified the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash as a fatal multiple road traffic incident. Investigations continue, but speed violation has been named as the probable cause.
The bodies of those killed were evacuated by the Ogun State Ambulance Service. The injured were taken to a medical facility nearby. The wrecked vehicles were later handed to the Motor Traffic Division of the Nigeria Police Force in Ibafo.
This latest Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash adds to a troubling run of accidents around the Kara and Ibafo axis in recent weeks. On 24 July, a pile-up at Kara Bridge killed one person and injured another. It involved five articulated trucks and a Toyota Sienna. The Lagos State Sector Command of the FRSC again pointed to speeding and loss of control. That crash brought traffic to a standstill, with gridlock stretching back towards Berger and Otedola Bridge.
Three days later, on 27 July, another multi-vehicle collision disrupted traffic along the same stretch. No deaths or injuries were reported that time. Then, on 17 August, a truck reportedly suffering brake failure struck and killed a pedestrian near Kara Bridge, according to the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency.
The series of accidents has kept renewed attention on safety along one of Nigeria’s busiest highways. The corridor carries heavy volumes of articulated vehicles moving goods between Lagos and the south-west.
Reacting to the latest Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash, the Ogun State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Oludare Ogunjobi, called for greater caution from motorists. He urged drivers, particularly those driving trucks and trailers, to avoid excessive speed. He also asked them to keep safe following distances and stay alert at all times. Night driving, he added, carried extra risk because of reduced visibility and driver fatigue.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway remains one of the most heavily used roads in south-western Nigeria. It carries commercial and passenger traffic between Lagos and Ibadan, connecting onward to several other states. Its high traffic volume, combined with the frequent presence of heavy-duty vehicles, has long made it a focal point for road safety concerns.
For now, the FRSC says its investigation into the cause of Monday’s Lagos-Ibadan Expressway crash is ongoing. Further details are expected once the inquiry concludes.
