Gridlock: Motorists spend night on Lagos-Ibadan highway

Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for over 12 hours on Tuesday as a multiple-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge, coupled with ongoing repair works, triggered a massive gridlock that stretched into Lagos.

The traffic gridlock left motorists and commuters exhausted, with some reportedly spending the night on the road after being trapped in the worsening congestion.

The crash occurred in the early hours of Tuesday and involved seven vehicles, initially disrupting traffic heading towards Ogun end of the expressway, regarded as the busiest highway in Nigeria.

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As the situation deteriorated, the resulting gridlock spread beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and extended into Lagos.

The situation was further compounded when some frustrated motorists began driving against traffic in an attempt to escape the congestion. Their actions created another bottleneck for vehicles travelling towards Lagos.

Daily Trust reports that motorists travelling from Lagos towards Ogun State were already trapped in traffic as early as 7am, while the congestion worsened throughout the day.

The gridlock left commuters stranded for hours, with some unable to reach their destinations or attend scheduled appointments.

Also those going towards Ojodu from Ikeja were stranded for several hours as they were unable to make U-turn at the popular Road Safety along Ogunnusi road to continue their journey towards Ojodu-Berger and Alagbole axis.

A motorist said as of 6:00 am this morning he was yet to get home.

“This is 6:00 and we are still stuck. It’s a full lock down. No movement. You will think today is the day trucks come to Lagos. Only trucks you see on the road,” said an X user who posted a video on the social media platform this morning.

Another motorist said he spent more than five hours in the traffic and was forced to miss an appointment.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its LRT Tiger Squad stationed at C3 was dispatched to the scene at 6:05am following a distress call.

According to the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the agency arrived at the scene within the projected response time.

He said the vehicles involved in the crash included a 40-foot container truck without a registration number, a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander and a Mitsubishi Hilux.

Oke-Osanyintolu said preliminary investigation indicated that the container truck developed a mechanical fault while in motion, causing its driver to lose control before ramming into the other six vehicles.

He said LASEMA activated its incident management protocol and coordinated the emergency response with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Nigeria Police Force.

The measures, he said, were aimed at preventing secondary crashes, clearing the affected vehicles and managing the resulting traffic situation.

“Private towing trucks were deployed to support the recovery operation, while all the affected vehicles were eventually removed from the carriageway to the roadside. Fortunately, no loss of life or injury was recorded in the incident,” the statement said.

The LASEMA boss added that LASTMA officials remained at the scene to monitor traffic and facilitate the restoration of movement.

He said the recovered vehicles were handed over to the police for documentation and further necessary action.