One dies, eight injured in accident on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after driver falls asleep
One person has been confirmed dead, while eight others sustained injuries following a road crash at the Saapade section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the early hours of Wednesday.
The accident involved a Volvo intercooler truck conveying farm produce, which reportedly veered off the road and plunged into a ditch after the driver allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Mr. Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the crash occurred near the Uncle Abbey Block Industry area, close to the Isara-Remo/Erimobi Bridge, along the Lagos-bound lane.
“A fatal road traffic accident occurred at the location. The truck, which had no number plate, lost control after the driver reportedly fell asleep and ran into a ditch,” Akinbiyi said.
According to him, 11 passengers were involved in the crash. One adult male lost his life on the spot, while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
TRACE officials swiftly evacuated the injured victims to Victory Hospital in Ogere-Remo for urgent medical treatment. The remains of the deceased, along with the unharmed passengers, were later handed over to representatives of the Truckers’ Union.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has increasingly gained notoriety for deadly road accidents, with several lives lost in recent months.
In January, at least eight people were killed after a commercial bus rammed into a truck at the NASFAT turning along the same expressway. In another incident, world-renowned boxing champion Anthony Joshua narrowly escaped death in a crash that claimed the lives of two of his associates at the Danco axis.
The recurring tragedies have reignited public concern over road safety, driver fatigue, vehicle condition, and the effectiveness of government measures aimed at curbing fatal crashes on one of Nigeria’s busiest highways.
