Yesterday, on October 30, 2025, commuters heading home from Lagos found themselves stuck, frustrated, and outraged. What looked like the usual rush-hour crawl turned into over five hours of traffic along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. The root cause? A major morning accident that spilled into the afternoon, and then a second crash later the same day.
Yes, the accidents are understandable as a course, but they expose something deeper: poor emergency response by key agencies, overloaded roads becoming death traps, and commuters paying the price — literally and psychologically — while enforcement, coordination and rescue teams seem to move in slow motion.
Morning Crash at Kara Bridge
The first accident happened at the bridge at Kara, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Multiple heavy trucks collided, some vehicles plunged into a lagoon, others spilled cargo, and chaos ensued. According to reports, the crash was recorded around 6:49 a.m. with responders arriving around 7:09 a.m.
However — and this is important — traffic still built up for hours. While rescue teams attended the scene, nearby lanes became parking lots. People commuting from Lagos to Ibadan or from Ikeja to home cities in Ogun and Lagos found themselves stuck. Meanwhile, commercial drivers took full advantage of the traffic, raising fares. Of course, those ones no dey carry last.
Five people died in this accident. Worse, a second crash later in the day showed we hadn’t learned from the first.
Second Crash: Same Road, Same Story
As if the first disaster wasn’t enough, a second crash occurred later along the same corridor, and this time, further jamming up the road. Truck collision, container spill, fire hazard, and four vehicles were badly affected, but no lives were lost. However, by this time, commuters had been crawling for hours.
Again, one accident should trigger immediate full-scale emergency response AND traffic mitigation. But no, here we were with multiple-vehicle crashes within hours and no workable rapid decongestion strategy. The bottleneck escalated into the kind of gridlock that makes a city grind to a halt.
From the middle of Third Mainland Bridge, there was a standstill. The traffic moved at a snail’s pace well past Iyana Oworo Bus Stop, and well past 7up Tollgate. No doubt it would have continued to Berger and beyond.
Why The Response Times & Traffic Management Are Outrageously Poor
Rescue Doesn’t End Traffic
Yes, agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) are on scene. But while they rescue victims, traffic keeps piling up. There must be simultaneous action: clear lanes for commuters and accelerate vehicle recovery, not just attend to the wreck.
Multiple Accidents, Same Weaknesses
Two serious crashes in the same corridor on one day should be alarming. Instead, the second incident shows a shocking inability to prevent disruptions, slow tow-truck deployment, and reactive rescue rather than proactive traffic control.
Commuters Become Collateral Damage
Young professionals, traders, students, someone’s child being late, someone’s cargo perishing, someone’s income lost. Spending five hours just to move a few kilometres is absurd in a global city.
Talk is not enough if there’s no difference
Reports show agencies responded. Yet the outcome was no better for commuters. We need accountability: why was the lane blocked for so long? Why were alternative routes not activated? Why were tow-units delayed?
Swift Action Needed From Government & Agencies
The problems are easy to identify, but how do we fix them?
- 24/7 Dedicated Rapid-Clearing Task Force: One team per major corridor (like the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway) whose sole role is after-crash clearance and traffic reopening. This road is important in the day-to-day movement of 90% of the residents.
- Pre-position Tow Trucks & Recovery Kits: At key bridges and chokepoints (Kara Bridge, Otedola Bridge), there should always be clearance equipment ready.
- Real-Time Traffic Diversion Protocols: Immediately an accident happens, replace motion with alternate routes, digital signage, and radio/WhatsApp alerts to redirect commuters.
- Simplified Incident Command Centre: FRSC + LASTMA + LASEMA should have joint control for each corridor, not separate ones. Efficiency demands one unified command.
- Transparent Recovery Time Metrics: Publish how long accidents block lanes, how long clearance took. Public pressure drives performance.
- Community Education & Truck Regulation: Many crashes involve large articulated vehicles. Speeding at night and mechanical faults require stricter enforcement and better upkeep.
What It Means For Young Commuters
If you’re a Youth in Nigeria, you hustle every day, move across the city for classes, gigs, or side-hustles. You know what traffic does to your life. Two accidents should not mean half a day lost. When the system lets you down, it’s your productivity, time, money, and mental health that pay.
So demand more. Ask your fellow commuters: when was the last time you saw traffic cleared fast after an accident? Where were the tow-trucks? Who coordinated the diversion? You’re not just a passenger, you’re the user of the road.
Conclusion
Yesterday’s chaos on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway was predictable, preventable and yet, still mishandled. Accidents happen, yes, but hours of gridlock need not be the default. The roads should not become punishment zones for commuters because the system fails.
I got home almost 15 minutes before midnight yesterday, and I should consider myself lucky. You see, by that time, the road was still full. Some people would have gotten home as late as 3am. It’s ridiculous on all levels.
For Lagos to claim it’s a city on the move, the agencies tasked with keeping it moving must step up. One crash is tragic, two is a pattern, however, five hours in traffic transforms tragedy into farce.
Until rescue, clearance and traffic management catch up with reality, every commuter who gets stuck isn’t just late, they’re a victim of systemic failure.
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