Four dead, 16 injured as truck overturns on Lagos-Ibeju-Lekki Expressway

By Adebola Muili

Four people have been killed and 16 others injured after an articulated truck carrying a 20-foot container overturned onto a commercial bus at Berger Bridge, inward Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki Expressway, Lagos State.

The accident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when the truck collided with a Toyota Hiace bus, causing the truck to overturn onto the vehicle and leaving four adult males dead at the scene.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu said preliminary investigations indicated that the truck was ascending the bridge at excessive speed when it collided with the bus. The driver reportedly lost control while attempting to avoid the collision, causing the truck to overturn onto the bus.

LASEMA said its Beta Whales Team from Epe Base was immediately activated following a distress call and deployed to the scene.

The agency’s response team, working alongside the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police Force, secured the accident scene, administered first aid to the injured and evacuated them to Epe General Hospital for further medical attention.

It added that a private crane had been secured to recover the overturned truck and container to enable the safe extrication of the deceased victims.

The agency said the recovery operation was ongoing, while traffic management measures had been deployed to ensure safety and minimise disruption along the corridor.

The Lagos State Government commiserated with the families of the deceased and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.

In a related development, LASEMA said it responded to two other road accidents in Agege and Igando on Wednesday, although neither incident resulted in any death.

The first occurred at about 4:09 a.m. near Vetland School, inward Agege Pen Cinema, along Old Abeokuta Road, where a truck with registration number KTU-940 XT rammed into a solar-powered streetlight pole before mounting the road median and obstructing traffic.

According to the agency, preliminary findings attributed the incident to reckless driving. The crash damaged the streetlight pole and the front section of the truck, but no casualty was recorded.

LASEMA said it introduced traffic diversion measures to prevent secondary accidents and ease vehicular movement before deploying its heavy-duty recovery equipment, Elephant, to remove the truck.

The vehicle was subsequently taken to Abattoir Police Station for further investigation and safekeeping, while the affected road was cleared and reopened to traffic.

At Lanre Bus Stop, inward Igando, along LASU-Igando Road, another accident involved a DAF truck with registration number SMK 795 XY and a Toyota Corolla with registration number AKD 169 EA.

LASEMA said information gathered at the scene indicated that a broken-down truck on the opposite side of the road had caused traffic congestion before the DAF truck, reportedly driving against traffic, collided with the Corolla.

The collision obstructed part of the road inward Igando, while the Corolla driver sustained a minor head injury.

The victim was taken to Igando General Hospital by an associate, while the damaged Corolla was towed to Igando Police Station.

The agency said its heavy-duty recovery equipment, Super Metro, had been deployed to move the DAF truck to a lay-by to restore traffic flow, adding that the operation was ongoing.

Oke-Osanyintolu urged motorists to observe speed limits, avoid driving against traffic and reckless manoeuvres, and ensure their vehicles were in good mechanical condition before embarking on journeys.

He also advised residents to report emergencies through the state’s toll-free lines, 767 and 112.