Travellers groan in ‘hellish’ Lagos–Ibadan Expressway gridlock

Travellers on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway endured hours of hellish gridlock on Friday, particularly along the Magboro–Alausa stretch, following a fatal accident at the Otedola Bridge inward Secretariat.

The accident led to motorists travelling from Mowe, Kara Bridge, and Redemption Camp being diverted through the Ojodu–Olole route, linking Agidingbi, Secretariat, and the 7-Up axis.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the crash, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, involved two articulated trucks, one loaded with sand and the other with granite.

The driver of the sand-laden truck was trapped and later pronounced dead at Ikeja General Hospital, while the driver of the granite-laden truck was rescued alive.

A statement by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority Director of Public Affairs, Adebayo Taofiq, linked the collision to a “reckless contest for right of way” between the trucks.

He added that the impact of the crash led to a secondary accident nearby, further worsening the traffic.

“The incidents obstructed nearly 80 per cent of the road, necessitating traffic diversions. Operatives of the Alausa Police Division were deployed to ensure safety and prevent law and order breakdown,” Taofiq said.

Our correspondent observed long queues of vehicles stretching from Otedola Bridge to Berger, as stranded motorists abandoned their cars and trekked for kilometres to reach their destinations.

Some drivers and motorcyclists were forced to drive against traffic to escape the gridlock.

A commuter stuck in the gridlock from 11am, Victoria, described the ordeal as “hellish.”

“I have never witnessed such traffic in my life. I was stuck for over five hours. Thank God it was not an explosion; many lives would have been lost, as there is no alternative route. Help didn’t come on time,” she lamented.

A mother, carrying a baby on her back and pulling along a toddler, was seen trudging painfully along the expressway.

She lamented having to leave a bus bound for Ibadan after nearly suffocating in the gridlock.

“My children cried endlessly, and at one point, the one on my back started vomiting. I had to get down. This is the worst traffic I have ever experienced,” she said.

Pupils were not spared the ordeal, with many seen trekking long distances under the scorching sun.

Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun Sector Command, said the congestion was compounded by ongoing repair works on the Kara Bridge expansion joints.

The FRSC spokesperson Afolabi Odunsi confirmed that officers were on site to tow affected vehicles and manage traffic.

The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway has witnessed several deadly accidents in recent months.

On January 18, two commuters were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash on Kara Bridge inward Mowe. In a similar incident on October 30, 2025, six people, including a police officer, died when several trucks, including a fuel tanker, collided. (Punch)