31 Died, 10 Injured In Lagos-ibadan Auto Crash Metro

The accident, which occurred around Elelubo area in Oluyole local council of Oyo State, involved two 18-passenger buses. One was said to be coming from Lagos while the other departed from Ibadan garage.

No fewer than 31 persons were confirmed dead in a fatal motor accident that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway around 8.30pm on Thursday. Besides, 10 surviving passengers sustained various degrees of injuries.

The accident, which occurred around Elelubo area in Oluyole local council of Oyo State, involved two 18-passenger buses. One was said to be coming from Lagos while the other departed from Ibadan garage.

The accident occurred at the portion of the expressway under construction by the Reynold Construction Company (RCC). The company had abandoned the project since May this year claiming the Federal Government owed it over N7b.

That section of the abandoned project where the accident occurred is opened for two opposing vehicles to face each other, which often results to head on collisions.

But the officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police blamed the accident on the over speeding. The FRSC sector Commander, Cyril Mathew, who addressed newsmen said the bus coming from Lagos was over speeding in an attempt to overtake a trailer but lost control and was unable to return to his normal lane before the collision.

He said the bus ran through a construction site where there was a completely blocked and in the process rammed into the Lagos bound bus.

He disclosed that that the injured had been taken to the Ibadan Central Hospital, Imalefalafia, while the remains of the deceased victims had been deposited at the Adeoyo State Hospital morgue on Ring Road, Ibadan.

He gave the details of the 30 casualties to include, 20 males and 10 females, who are all adults. While urging drivers to avoid night travelling, he noted that “no matter how bright the vehicles head light may be, they may not still be able to see clearly at night.”

Speaking to reporters on the hospital bed, one of the survivors, Busari Owolabi said the passengers had cautioned the driver several times but that the driver turned deaf ears until the accident occurred.