Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for more than 12 hours on Tuesday after a multiple-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge, combined with ongoing repair works, caused a massive traffic gridlock that extended into Lagos.
The prolonged congestion left motorists and commuters exhausted, while some were reportedly forced to spend the night on the highway after becoming trapped in the worsening traffic.
The crash happened in the early hours of Tuesday and involved seven vehicles, initially affecting traffic heading towards the Ogun end of the expressway, one of the busiest highways in Nigeria.
As the congestion intensified, the traffic buildup spread beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and further into Lagos.
The situation was worsened when some frustrated motorists started driving against traffic in an effort to escape the congestion. The action resulted in another bottleneck for motorists travelling towards Lagos.
According to media reports, motorists travelling from Lagos towards Ogun State were already caught in the traffic as early as 7am, with the congestion becoming increasingly severe throughout the day.
The gridlock left commuters stranded for several hours, preventing some from reaching their destinations and causing others to miss scheduled appointments.
Motorists travelling towards Ojodu from Ikeja were also stranded for hours after they were unable to make a U-turn at the popular Road Safety along Ogunnusi Road to continue towards the Ojodu-Berger and Alagbole axis.
A motorist said as of 6:00 am this morning he was yet to get home.
“This is 6:00 and we are still stuck. It’s a full lock down. No movement. You will think today is the day trucks come to Lagos. Only trucks you see on the road,” said an X user who posted a video on the social media platform this morning.
Another motorist said he spent more than five hours in the traffic and was forced to miss an appointment.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 was deployed to the scene at 6:05am after receiving a distress call.
According to the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the agency reached the scene within its projected response time.
He said the vehicles involved in the crash were a 40-foot container truck without a registration number, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux.
Oke-Osanyintolu said preliminary findings showed that the container truck developed a mechanical fault while moving, causing the driver to lose control and crash into the other six vehicles.
He said LASEMA activated its incident management protocol and coordinated the emergency response with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Nigeria Police Force.
The measures, he said, were introduced to prevent secondary crashes, remove the affected vehicles and control the traffic situation that followed.
“Private towing trucks were deployed to support the recovery operation, while all the affected vehicles were eventually removed from the carriageway to the roadside. Fortunately, no loss of life or injury was recorded in the incident,” the statement said.
The LASEMA boss said LASTMA officials remained at the scene to monitor the traffic and assist in restoring normal movement.
He said the recovered vehicles were handed over to the police for documentation and further necessary action.
