A series of crashes on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway brought one of Nigeria’s busiest highways to a near standstill on Friday, with commuters reporting that the resulting traffic backlog stretched as far as Oshodi, several kilometres from the crash scene, before conditions gradually began to ease later in the day.
The scale of the disruption was captured in a widely shared eyewitness account on social media, where one commuter warned motorists heading from Oshodi towards Berger to abandon their journeys altogether.
“If you have anything from Oshodi towards Berger, just go back home and sleep. Today’s not that day. It’s a STANDSTILL,” the eyewitness wrote as traffic remained virtually at a halt.
When another road user sought an update at about 2 p.m., asking whether the situation had improved, the response suggested that movement had finally resumed, albeit slowly.
“It’s moving now,” the eyewitness replied.
The online accounts reflected the severe congestion that followed multiple crashes on the expressway during the early hours of Friday, with traffic spilling far beyond the immediate accident scene and affecting major approaches into Lagos.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Sector Command, confirmed that the first crash occurred at about 12.05am on the outbound carriageway towards Ibadan and involved five articulated trucks and one Toyota Sienna.
According to the agency, preliminary investigations indicate that excessive speed and loss of control were responsible for the collision.
Seven adult men were involved. One person died, another sustained injuries, while five escaped unhurt.
FRSC said recovery efforts were complicated because one of the heavily loaded trucks trapped the body of the deceased underneath it, making it necessary to deploy heavy-duty recovery equipment before evacuation could be completed.
While emergency workers were still battling the first incident, another crash occurred at about 3.15am on the inbound carriageway towards Lagos.
The second incident involved a Mazda commercial bus which, according to the FRSC, suffered brake failure.
The driver sustained serious injuries and was rescued by emergency responders before being taken to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre for treatment.
The crashes left hundreds of motorists stranded for several hours as emergency responders worked to remove damaged vehicles and restore traffic flow.
FRSC said its rescue teams, alongside the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and other emergency services, were deployed to clear the road and recover the trapped victim.
Lagos Sector Commander, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, sympathised with the families of the victims and appealed to motorists to remain patient and cooperate with traffic officials managing the affected corridor.
The command advised motorists to avoid the Kara-Ojodu Berger section where possible while recovery operations continued.
It recommended that motorists travelling out of Lagos towards Ibadan should divert through the Ikorodu-Sagamu route, while those heading into Lagos should consider entering the city through the Lekki-Epe Expressway or the Ikorodu-Sagamu Expressway.
The FRSC also reminded drivers, particularly operators of articulated vehicles and commercial buses, to ensure their vehicles are mechanically sound before travelling, with special attention to braking systems.
It further advised motorists to avoid unnecessary night journeys, reduce speed during poor visibility, maintain safe following distances and take adequate rest to minimise fatigue-related crashes.
Traffic on the corridor had begun moving again by Friday afternoon, according to motorists on the route, although significant delays persisted after several hours of disruption caused by the overnight crashes.
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