Early Friday morning traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway came to a standstill after a fully loaded truck overturned on Otedola Bridge, inward Lagos, spilling its cargo across the roadway and blocking nearly the entire carriageway.
The incident, reported around the pre-dawn hours, left motorists stranded for hours as the wreckage and scattered load made the section impassable. Authorities confirmed that a secondary collision soon followed in the same vicinity, involving heavy-duty vehicles and resulting in at least one fatality.
A driver was trapped in the wreckage of one of the trucks and was later pronounced dead at the General Hospital in Ikeja after rescue efforts by LASTMA and LASAMBUS teams.The combined crashes triggered massive gridlock stretching from Otedola Bridge back toward the Berger axis, with tailbacks reportedly extending further in some directions.
Commuters heading into Lagos were forced to seek lengthy detours, including one-way maneuvers on outbound lanes or alternative routes via Ojodu, Olole, Agidingbi, and surrounding roads.The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command were quickly deployed to the scene for traffic control, crowd management, and recovery operations.
Clearance efforts were underway by mid-morning, though the expressway remained heavily disrupted.Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, described the accidents as “preventable” and attributed them to factors including driver impatience, indiscipline among heavy vehicle operators, and failure to observe basic road safety rules.
He urged articulated vehicle drivers to exercise greater caution, especially on known high-risk sections like Otedola Bridge.Motorists are advised to avoid the area where possible, allow extra travel time, and monitor real-time traffic updates via radio, navigation apps, or official LASTMA channels.
Otedola Bridge has long been identified as a frequent accident blackspot on this busy corridor, and today’s events once again highlight the need for improved enforcement and infrastructure measures.
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