15 die, many injured in Ogun, Anambra crashes

Fifteen persons lost their lives, while scores were injured in multiple road crashes in Ogun and Anambra states on Monday.

In Ogun State, five persons were confirmed dead, while seven sustained injuries in a crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The accident occurred around Onigari in the Odeda Local Government Area of the state.

The Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Command, Florence Okpe, confirmed the accident in a statement.

Okpe said the accident occurred around 1pm and involved 40 people consisting of 24 male adults, 13 female adults, two male children and one female child.

According to her, three males and four females were injured in the crash, which involved six vehicles.

The vehicles included a Toyota Corolla with number plate APP 675 BH; a brown Sienna with number plate MUS 932 FE; and a red Mack Iveco truck with number plate JGB 874 XA.

The others, according to Okpe, were a brown Toyota Camry with number plate EW 909 APP, and two white Toyota Hiace buses with number plates ABE 24 LG and APH 582 AAA.

The accident was allegedly caused by speed limit violation on the road, while it was raining, which led to the loss of control of the vehicles.

Okpe said some of the injured victims were rushed to the Victory Hospital, Ogere, while the FRSC patrol team from Oluyole evacuated the other victims to the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

The corpses of the dead victims, she noted, had been deposited in the FOS Mortuary, Ipara, adding that the obstruction on the road as a result of the accident had been cleared.

The statement read in part, “The FRSC, Ogun State Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, expressed condolences to the dead victims’ families and quick recovery to the injured victims. He advised relations of the crash victims to contact the FRSC command in Ogunmakin for details of the crash.

“The sector commander advised motorists to reduce their speed in the rain and around construction areas to prevent avoidable road traffic crashes.”

In Anambra State, no fewer than 10 persons died in a road crash in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state on Monday

Many others were injured in the accident that involved a truck with number plate XB 238 MBA, which was conveying iron rods, and four other vehicles near the Agulu Lake.

An eyewitness said the truck suffered a brake failure and collided with four other vehicles, which resulted in the death of about 10 persons.

Governor Willie Obiano suspended the state executive council meeting to visit the accident scene.

He promised to foot the bills of the injured victims and ordered barricades to be mounted on the road.

Obiano also visited the St. Joseph’s Hospital, Adazi Nnukwu, where more than 10 persons, who were critically injured, were admitted.

He directed that speed breakers be constructed on the road to check similar accidents in the future.

The governor sympathised with the families of the deceased and the injured, while directing that the injured victims be taken to the teaching hospital in Amaku, Awka, to receive proper medical attention.

The Supervisor of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Adazi Nnukwu, Rev. Fr. Jerome Okafor, commended Obiano for his prompt response, promising that the injured would be properly taken care of.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the accident.

He said six persons died on the spot, while five were in critical condition when they were rushed to the hospital.

Similarly, an unidentified commercial motorcyclist and two admission seekers into the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, lost their lives on Monday in a crash that occurred on the Ife/Ilesha Expressway.

Eyewitnesses said a bus coming from Ilesha drove against the traffic to avoid bad portions of the road and in the process, ran over the motorcycle conveying the two students.

The students, it was learnt, left the Moro Campus of the OAU some minutes before the accident occurred and were returning to Ile-Ife after sitting for the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

While the commercial motorcyclist and one of his passengers died on the spot, the third victim later died at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.

When contacted, the Osun State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Peter Oke, said his men were deployed in the scene immediately the crash occurred.

The General Manager, Osun Ambulance Services, Dr Babatunde Olusegun, said the commercial motorcyclist and one of the passengers died on the spot.

He said medics from the agency rushed the second passenger, who sustained serious injuries, to the OAUTH.


The Public Relations Officer, OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, while commenting on the accident, urged motorists to always comply with traffic regulations.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Ige, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Folasade Odoro, said further details about the incident would be released after the conclusion of the investigation.