One person has been confirmed dead after a series of road crashes at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the early hours of Friday, triggering severe traffic congestion on the busy highway and surrounding roads.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the first accident occurred at about 12:05 a.m. on the outbound lane heading towards Ibadan. The crash involved five articulated trucks and a Toyota Sienna bus.
The incident resulted in the death of one person, while emergency responders moved swiftly to manage the situation and clear the affected section of the road.
In a statement, the FRSC Lagos Sector Command’s Public Education Officer, Elizabeth Jayeola, said the multiple crashes caused significant disruption to traffic flow, leading to long queues of vehicles along the expressway and nearby routes.
Motorists have been advised to remain patient, obey traffic officials, and consider alternative routes where possible as efforts continue to restore free movement on the highway.
Jayeola said seven persons were involved in the accident, adding that one person died, another sustained injuries, while five others escaped unhurt.
She said the accident was caused by speed violation and loss of control.
“Due to the position of one of the heavily loaded trucks, the body of the deceased is trapped underneath the vehicle, necessitating the deployment of heavy-duty recovery equipment before evacuation can be completed,” she said.
Jayeola said another accident involving a commercial bus occurred around 3:15am at the inbound carriageway towards Lagos.
She added that the lone accident was caused by a brake failure and that the driver was seriously injured.
“He was promptly rescued by the FRSC emergency response team and taken to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre for medical treatment,” the statement reads.
“The FRSC rescue team, LASEMA and other emergency responders are working assiduously to evacuate the crashed vehicles, recover the trapped victim, clear the obstruction, and restore the free flow of traffic.
“The Lagos Sector Commander, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, sympathizes with the families of the victims and urges motorists travelling along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to exercise patience, caution and cooperate with traffic management personnel in and around the scene.”
She urged motorists to use alternative routes to avoid delays from the Kara-Ojodu Berger corridor until recovery operations are concluded.
“Motorists travelling outward Lagos towards Ibadan may divert through the Ikorodu-Sagamu route,” Jayeola said.
“Motorists heading into Lagos are advised to consider alternative entry routes through Lekki-Epe expressway or Ikorodu-Sagamu expressway.
