A fatal road accident in the early hours of Sunday claimed the lives of eight people when a commercial 16-seater Mazda bus collided head-on with a DAF truck at Atura Bus Stop along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The crash was confirmed by the General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Olalekan Bakare-Oki. The vehicles involved were a Mazda bus with registration number KJA 811 YF and a DAF truck with plate number T1 4636 LA.
Bakare-Oki stated that all eight fatalities, including the bus driver and conductor, died on the spot. Another eight passengers sustained varying injuries and were promptly taken to Badagry General Hospital by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for urgent treatment.
Emergency response teams comprising personnel from LASTMA, FRSC, the Nigeria Police (Morogbo Division), and troops from the 244 Battalion, Ibereko Barracks, worked in concert to evacuate the scene and rescue survivors.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the commercial bus was traveling at high speed when the driver lost control and veered into the path of the oncoming truck. The impact was described as catastrophic, offering little chance of survival for several passengers.
Bakare-Oki, who visited the accident site, expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
“This painful event is a stark reminder of how precious and fragile life is. No one should begin a journey and not return. We mourn with the families and pray for strength in this time of grief,” he said.
He also conveyed his best wishes for the full recovery of the injured passengers and issued a stern advisory to all commercial and articulated vehicle operators to adhere strictly to safety regulations, emphasizing that excessive speeding and reckless driving continue to endanger lives on Nigerian roads.
