Five people died and nine were injured in multiple accidents on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, including a tanker explosion and traffic gridlock.

Five individuals lost their lives yesterday, while nine others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a series of multiple road accidents that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, by the Public Education Officer of the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Florence Okpe.

According to Okpe, the first incident involved a Mazda bus and a truck at the Car Park C section of the expressway. She explained that the accident occurred when the truck suffered a brake failure, lost control, and crashed into the bus, which was attempting to make a turn at the time.

She further stated: “The crash involved two vehicles: a yellow Mazda bus with registration number LGB465XA and an Ash-colored Howo truck with no registration number. A total of 12 persons—seven male adults and five female adults—were involved in the accident. Out of these, two male adults and three female adults lost their lives, while five male adults and two female adults sustained injuries.

“The injured victims were transported to Famobis Hospital in Mowe, and the deceased were deposited at the Idera morgue. The suspected causes of the accident were speeding, brake failure, and loss of control by the Howo truck, which rammed into the Mazda bus as the driver was negotiating a turning point at Car Park C.”

In a separate but related development, two persons sustained injuries while six vehicles were completely burnt following the explosion of a petrol-laden tanker that occurred opposite the NASFAT junction along the same expressway on the same day. Reports indicate that the tanker was attempting a turn at the junction when it overturned, spilled its contents across the road, and subsequently caught fire.

An eyewitness at the scene said: “The tanker was trying to make a turn when it toppled onto its side, spilling petrol all over the road, and then it caught fire.”

The fire outbreak caused a major disruption of traffic flow on both sides of the expressway, leaving many vehicles stranded for hours. Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said two individuals sustained severe injuries and six vehicles—including four trucks, one bus, and a Toyota Camry—were affected by the fire.

He said, “There were two male casualties at the scene of the tanker fire incident near NASFAT along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The injured were evacuated to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) by officials of the Ogun State Ambulance and Emergency Services (OGSAES).”

However, he later added in an update: “Due to the heavy traffic congestion, the earlier reported casualties could not be taken to OOUTH as planned. They were instead transported to Famobis Hospital in the Lotto area.”

Meanwhile, in yet another incident along the same expressway, another tanker fell near the Ogere bridge around noon, resulting in a prolonged traffic gridlock that lasted for several hours. It was reported that a fuel tanker overturned on one side of the road, while an 18-tyre truck conveying stones fell on the opposite side, worsening the traffic situation.

There was a heavy presence of law enforcement and emergency response teams at the scene, including firefighters from the Ogun State government. Several motorists recounted that they spent hours in standstill traffic, with some being forced to take alternative routes to bypass the affected area.