Too Bad!! 80 Persons killed On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway In Just 6 Months

7 years ago

Too Bad!! 80 Persons killed On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway In Just 6 Months

At least 80 persons have been killed in different auto accidents on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway between January and June 2016. This is just outrageous and totally unacceptable.

The statistics were obtained from only the cases reported and confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), the Ogun State Police Command and other agencies.

Within the period, 98 persons sustained varying degrees of injury from the accidents on same road…

Punch reports that the Federal Road Safety Corps, Zone 2, which monitored accidents in the Lagos and Ogun regions of the expressway, did not release its statistics for the period when it was requested for.

However, records obtained from the Ogun State TRACE say 91 crashes occurred on the Ogun State end of the expressway in six months.

Of the number, 44 people were said to have died, while 149 persons were injured.

On Thursday, January 7, a truck had reportedly crashed into a van conveying pepper traders at the Warewa end of the expressway, during which three traders died.

It was reported that the driver of the truck fled the scene of the accident while pepper splashed on the road with traders struggling to come out of the wreckage.

On Wednesday, January 13, five passengers were crushed to death while 13 others were critically injured at the Mowe end of the expressway in an accident involving a truck and a Mazda commercial bus.

The accident, which occurred around 1pm in Ayetoro village, was caused by the Mazda’s head-on collision with the stationary truck.

A nursing mother and her two children were among the dead.

On Friday, February 5, three passengers escaped death at the Arepo end of the expressway after a truck rammed into a Toyota Sienna car.

The crash, which occurred at an intersection on the highway, had left the car mangled.

On Sunday, February 7, 30 male passengers died at the Adeosun end of the road after a truck conveying them crashed.

In the accident, over 50 people sustained varying degrees of injuries, while two rams were also killed.

The accident occurred at the Oyo State end of the expressway.

On Thursday, March 17, 10 persons were crushed to death at the Ajebo end of the expressway in Ogun State, after a Mazda bus, with number plate APP 912 XH, collided with a truck opposite the Foursquare camp in the area.

The accident, which occurred at about 2pm, was said to have been caused by the bus driver, who drove against the traffic, leading to a collision with the truck.

On Tuesday, May 3, 13 persons were burnt to death at the Lotto-Mowe end of the expressway.

The accident, which involved a commercial bus and two Toyota Hilux vans, happened around 1am after a Sport Utility Vehicle suffered a tyre blow-out.

The rim of the SUV grinding the road produced fire sparks which turned into a conflagration when the vehicle sped on fuel spilled by a fallen tanker.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the deaths, had said the charred remains of the deceased were removed from the scene.

On Sunday, June 19, at the Fidiwo/Ajebo end, a fully-loaded commercial bus and a fuel tanker had a head-on collision in which 19 people lost their lives.

Zonal Commanding Officer, FRSC, Zone 2, Nseobong Akpabio, attributed the accidents to reckless driving, adding that some failed portions on the expressway also contributed to the accidents.

He said, “Indiscipline is the major cause of most of the accidents. For instance, between the Ogunmakin and Ogere end of the expressway, drivers speed because construction work had just been concluded and the road is smooth.

The same is applicable between the Mowe and Sagamu end of the road.

“There are also failed portions in some parts. If any vehicle runs into some of the bad portions at full speed, it would veer off the road and the vehicle would end up in the bush.

We wrote a report on the various failed portions on the expressway and that informed the ongoing construction works which will cover several kilometres.

“However, we noticed that where there is a diversion on the road due to the ongoing construction works, drivers tend to be involved in dangerous overtaking.

They turn the road to a race track. Many times, we noticed that the head-on collisions were caused by poor judgments on the part of the drivers.”

He said the corps had decided to tighten enforcement on the expressway, adding that the agency had acquired a piece of equipment that could detect a drunk driver. Motorists to comply with traffic rules.