FIERY CRASH PARALYSES LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY, COMMUTERS TRAPPED FOR HOURS
Chaos erupted on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday morning after a violent, fiery collision brought Nigeria’s busiest highway to a grinding halt, trapping thousands of commuters in a gridlock that stretched for kilometres and left motorists fuming in frustration.
What began as a routine rush hour commute quickly spiralled into a nightmare. Long lines of vehicles snaked endlessly from the Alausa Expressway toward the OPIC/Fatgbems roundabout for outbound travellers, while inbound motorists from the Long Bridge were locked in place, helpless as the sun climbed and the congestion deepened.
The source of the paralysis was discovered near the New Garage axis, where two vehicles collided and exploded into flames. By the time emergency teams arrived, both vehicles had been reduced to skeletal shells, their remains scattered across the highway like war debris. The obstruction choked the lanes and sent shockwaves of congestion rippling across the entire corridor.
Among the stranded was Adeleke Dada, who described his experience as “unbelievable,” recounting how a seven-minute stretch from Berger to Magboro turned into a torturous two-hour crawl.
He said he spent nearly the entire period rooted to one spot, watching frustration ripple through drivers around him.
Another commuter, Opeyemi Alofe, said he encountered the snarl at Otedola Bridge and only realised the scale of the disaster upon reaching Berger New Garage.
Even though the inferno did not occur in his lane, the ripple effect engulfed both sides of the expressway, leaving him and thousands of others with no escape.
Monday’s jam is only the latest in a series of gridlock crises that have plagued the motorway. In August, the Ogere axis witnessed a similar standstill, trapping travellers for hours after congestion spilled backward from the Sagamu Interchange to the old tollgate.
As of press time, officials were still clearing the wreckage, with no formal statement yet released on whether there were casualties or what triggered the fiery collision.
The recurring breakdowns along the expressway continue to raise serious questions about emergency response efficiency, road safety enforcement, and Nigeria’s capacity to manage its most crucial transport artery.
