Clara Magoh
Otedola Bridge, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has witnessed a series of road accidents involving heavy-duty trucks, tankers and other vehicles, resulting in deaths, injuries, property damage and renewed concerns about road safety.
The latest incident occurred on Monday, October 19, 2026, when a diesel-laden tanker plunged from the bridge and burst into flames beneath it, leaving two people with severe burn injuries.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the history of accidents along the busy Lagos corridor.
It is largely a history of multifaceted woes.
For instance, one notable incident occurred on September 12, 2023, when a truck carrying wheat overturned on Otedola Bridge, killing one person and disrupting traffic towards Ojodu Berger and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) confirmed the incident and said efforts were underway to recover the truck and its contents.
In May 2024, the Lagos State Ambulance Service recorded a fatal hit-and-run incident near a mobile filling station on the bridge, inward Berger. According to the agency’s incident record, emergency responders found a deceased person upon arrival at the scene.
The area witnessed another deadly incident in January 2025, when multiple articulated trucks were involved in a series of crashes. Reports indicated that one person died while three others sustained injuries.
One of the most devastating accidents occurred on March 11, 2025, when a gas-laden truck fell and caught fire around Otedola Bridge. The inferno spread to nearby vehicles and structures, destroying 12 vehicles, eight tricycles and a building, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency. Two people were confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries.
The incident prompted calls for stricter safety measures for heavy-duty vehicles and improved compliance with regulations governing the transportation of hazardous materials.
Barely a month later, another accident was reported on or near the bridge on April 7, 2025, when a car reportedly fell from the bridge. The driver and three passengers were rescued but sustained injuries.
In November 2025, a multiple-vehicle collision involving four vehicles left four pedestrians seriously injured. An eight-month-old baby strapped to one of the victims’ backs was rescued unharmed, according to LASTMA.
The following month, tragedy struck again along the Secretariat-inward-Otedola Bridge stretch of the expressway. On December 10, 2025, a collision involving three vehicles claimed the lives of a father, a mother and their young child.
Two other people sustained critical injuries. Preliminary findings by LASTMA indicated that a heavily loaded truck travelling at excessive speed struck one of the vehicles from behind, triggering a chain collision.
The accidents continued into 2026. On January 23, an overturned truck spilled its load across much of the carriageway, while another crash occurred behind it, worsening traffic congestion. Emergency agencies were deployed to manage the situation and restore the free flow of traffic.
On September 16, 2026, five people were rescued following another multiple-vehicle crash on the bridge, according to reports by the Lagos State Police Command. No deaths were reported in that incident.
The latest tanker crash on October 19 has once again placed the bridge’s safety record under scrutiny. Although emergency responders rescued the two injured occupants and took them to hospital, the fire and resulting traffic congestion disrupted movement around the area.
The recurring incidents raise questions about the effectiveness of existing road safety measures, particularly those relating to heavy-duty vehicles, vehicle maintenance, speed limits and the transportation of hazardous materials.
While emergency agencies have repeatedly responded to crashes and rescued victims, the frequency of reported incidents highlights the importance of prevention, consistent enforcement of traffic regulations and improved safety measures along the corridor.
For commuters who use the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway daily, the concern remains whether stronger preventive measures can reduce the risks and prevent further loss of life on Otedola Bridge.
And for those who argue that there could be something mysterious, which gave the bridge a hunger for tragedies, their perspective remains a guess.
A superstition that patience, care, discretion, better traffic management and possible the reconstruction of the road will defeat for the good of all and sundry.
