A truck accident around the Kara Bridge area on Wednesday triggered a massive gridlock along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leaving hundreds of motorists travelling from Lagos towards Ogun State stranded for several hours.

PUNCH Metro reports that travellers heading out of Lagos towards Ogun State were stranded for several hours, with the congestion lasting until about 12pm as motorists struggled to reach their destinations.

While inbound traffic to Lagos remained relatively free-flowing, commuters travelling towards Magboro, Ibafo and Mowe endured hours of delays, with queues stretching close to the Lagos State Secretariat as Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officials worked to clear the obstruction and restore normal traffic flow.

In an update shared via its official X handle on Wednesday, LASTMA said vehicular movement was temporarily halted to enable recovery teams to safely clear the accident scene.

“The traffic backlog has stretched to New Garage and beyond, causing delays for motorists travelling towards Ogun State,” the agency stated.

Providing further details on the incident, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs, Afolabi Olawale, said the accident occurred at about 3 a.m. when a 40-foot bucket trailer fully laden with bags of flour overturned after crashing into the side rail of Kara Bridge.

The statement read, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the accident was caused by overloading, which resulted in the driver losing control of the vehicle.

“No loss of life was recorded. However, the driver sustained severe injuries and was immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital by officers of the Nigeria Police Force for medical attention.

“Swift action was taken to bring the situation under control. Transloading operations were carried out to transfer the cargo into another trailer, while the overturned truck was recovered with the assistance of two private towing trucks procured by the Nigeria Police Force.

“Due to extensive damage to the truck’s wheels, final evacuation will require a heavy-duty crane. The recovered truck has been moved to a lay-by pending this.

“Following the conclusion of transloading, the scene was handed over to TRACE officials. Traffic management was jointly supervised by LASTMA and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure the free flow of vehicular movement and minimise gridlock.

“Responding agencies included LASEMA LRT, LASTMA, FRSC, TRACE, and the Nigeria Police Force. The operation has been concluded, and the agency’s LRT has returned to base.”

Reacting, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, commended the responding agencies for their professionalism and timely intervention, which prevented the situation from escalating.

He urged haulage operators to adhere strictly to load limits and road safety regulations while also advising residents to ensure regular inspection and maintenance of electrical installations, particularly prepaid meters, to prevent fire outbreaks caused by electrical surges.

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The crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly remains unresolved as the majority of lawmakers have issued a Sunday ultimatum to the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, to resign from office or face impeachment.

Twenty-one of the 26 members of the House have signed an impeachment notice against the Speaker over alleged financial misconduct.

The Speaker was accused of diverting N44m from funds allocated for the reordering of the budget of the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission.

Speaking with our correspondent by telephone on Wednesday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, said the lawmakers had given the Speaker a few more days to resign, failing which he would be removed at the next plenary sitting.

He stressed that the governor had intervened in the matter but had allowed the lawmakers to carry out their legislative duties.

Fabiyi said, “We have resolved that Mr Speaker should go. But in the wisdom of the leadership of the House, we felt we should meet with Mr Governor.

“And we have taken the resolution of the members to Mr Governor. Because the one we did before, they were castigating us, saying somebody was sponsoring us.”

“So, to avoid that, the leadership of the House went to Mr Governor to tell him that this one is not about him. This is what Mr Speaker has done, and we don’t want him anymore. He is the one leading us, and we don’t want him to lead us again.

“Twenty-one members have signed for his removal. But in the wisdom of the leadership of the House, not to make it appear as if we are striking too quickly, we went to Mr Governor.

“Mr Governor requested some time. On this issue, we don’t have any problem with Mr Governor. It is about the OSOPADEC budget. A resolution was written in the name of members without our knowledge. It was stated that members had sat down and agreed to it, and that it was our resolution, which it was not.

“It is a criminal offence. You cannot shave our heads behind our backs. That is what we are fighting for.

“So, if somebody is protecting him, it means that person is aiding and abetting him. We are giving him till Sunday. If he fails to resign, we will remove him.”

The House spokesman said the lawmakers would reconvene at the next plenary sitting to decide the Speaker’s fate.

On Monday, a member of the House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the Speaker and his deputy had diverted N44m meant for the reordering of the budget of OSOPADEC.

He also alleged that the Speaker reordered the OSOPADEC budget without carrying other members along.

The lawmaker confirmed, “Yes, we are removing him. We just want him to resign honourably and, if he fails to do so, we will impeach him on the floor of the House. We have initiated an impeachment notice, and 21 members have already signed.

“We started the process about three weeks ago, but the governor has been talking to us, which is why we delayed it. But now, the governor has advised him to resign when we met with him. So, we are removing him.”

In his reaction, when contacted by telephone, the embattled speaker denied the allegations, saying he was not aware of any impeachment notice.

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