At least four people, including a police inspector, have died in a multiple-truck accident on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, inward Mowe, early Thursday morning.
The crash, which occurred around 3 a.m., involved five articulated trucks and caused a major fire outbreak and traffic congestion along the busy corridor.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, said emergency workers were deployed to rescue victims and clear the wreckage.
“We have a case of multiple accidents at the border between Ogun and Lagos states. Five vehicles were involved, all articulated trucks. So far, three people have been rescued,” Jimoh said during a visit to the scene.
He explained that a trailer with brake failure caused the collision.
“At the beginning, we have a trailer that failed to brake, and it is important that every driver ensures proper maintenance of their vehicles,” he added.
Jimoh also confirmed that a police inspector attached to the command was among those who lost their lives.
“It’s very unfortunate that we lost one of our police inspectors who came with our advance team to salvage the situation,” he said.
The commissioner warned truck drivers against reckless driving, which he said remained a major cause of deadly crashes on highways.
“We want road users, especially those driving articulated vehicles, to stop this kind of recklessness. If they are not reckless in their driving habit, we won’t have this kind of accident,” he stated.
Rescue efforts by the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and other emergency agencies were ongoing as of press time, while efforts continued to remove the damaged vehicles and ease traffic on the expressway.
