It was a bloody Friday vas a container-laden truck crash into many vehicles in the early hours of the day on Good Friday bringing traffic on the outward bound lane of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to a complete halt.
The incident caused a major gridlock stretching from Berger Bridge to the Old Toll Gate near 7Up.
Witnesses told newsreporters online that the trailer was involved in a lone accident, falling across the entire outward lane and effectively blocking all vehicular movement. Traffic on the road had remained at a standstill for over an hour.
The incident has also caused ripple effects on the inward bound lane, as frustrated motorists began driving against traffic to escape the logjam, further compounding the congestion and creating a chaotic situation on both sides of the expressway.
Emergency responders were on ground but had yet to fully restore traffic flow or remove the obstructing trailer at the time of reporting. Commuters and motorists are advised to avoid the area and seek alternative routes where possible.
Similarly in Abuja, another tragic accident had claimed several lives on Karu Bridge, inward Karu Site, Abuja, after a truck laden with cement reportedly lost its brakes while descending the steep Kugbo hill.
According to a NEWSREPORTERS ONLINE correspondent who witnessed the incident, the truck ploughed through multiple vehicles during the busy Friday traffic, crushing several occupants. Eyewitnesses say the driver attempted to flee the scene but was intercepted by a group of commercial motorcyclists near the Karu Roundabout.
The exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report, but emergency services were seen evacuating the dead and injured from the mangled wreckage.
This latest crash occurred barely a month after a similar fatal incident on the same Karu Bridge, when a Dangote trailer powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) also lost its brakes, ramming into vehicles and leaving multiple people dead.
Residents and road users have continued to express concern over the safety of the Karu-Kugbo corridor, which has become notorious for brake-failure-related crashes, particularly involving heavy-duty trucks.
Calls are mounting for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and relevant transport authorities to implement stricter safety regulations for trucks descending the Kugbo hill, including the installation of speed control mechanisms, functional brake checkpoints, and mandatory vehicle inspections.
