At least 12 people have reportedly lost their lives in a multiple-vehicle accident involving a trailer and another vehicle along the notorious Oko Olowo stretch of the Ilorin-Jebba Expressway in Kwara State.
Several others sustained varying degrees of injury in the crash, which occurred on Wednesday around 5:35 pm.
According to eyewitness accounts, a trailer with registration number AYE 218 XC collided head-on with a motor vehicle bearing registration number TTN 556 XA.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state has not yet issued an official statement on the incident, although a senior corps official confirmed the event in a phone interview.
One of the vehicles involved was reportedly transporting cows and human passengers from Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, to Ogbomoso in Oyo State, while the trailer was traveling from Lagos to Kano.
Emergency responders and officers from the ‘G’ Division Police Command in Oloje quickly arrived at the scene to manage the situation, and the injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were reportedly taken by their families.
While the cause of the accident remains under investigation, sources suggest that reckless driving and excessive speeding may have played a role.
A video of the incident, recorded by a rescuer, showed the truck lying on its side with more than 10 bodies scattered across the road.
A voice in the video called on the government to take immediate action to prevent further accidents in the area, which has seen a rising number of fatal crashes.
A senior FRSC officer in Kwara, who requested to remain anonymous, confirmed that 15 people died in the crashes, with three others injured.
Speaking in a telephone chat, the FRSC Sector Commander, Muftau Irekeola, confirmed the incident, saying that, “But I am still waiting for the details from my boys in Olooru unit.”
“That we have 15 casualties may not be far from the truth but I am still waiting for details. I am waiting for the details from my boys. It was a multiple accident involving a trailer and one Canter truck,” he said.