8 Killed, many injured in Lagos-Badagry expressway auto crash
By Eugene Agha, Lagos
A tragic road accident on the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway, Lagos, has claimed the lives of eight persons and left many others injured.
The accident, which occurred at Atura Bus Stop, inward Badagry, in the early hours of Sunday, involved a 16-passenger seater Mazda commercial bus, registration number KJA 811 YF, and a DAF truck, marked T1 4636 LA.
About eight other passengers onboard the ill-fated bus sustained varying degrees of trauma.
According to witnesses, the crash was suspected to have been caused by reckless driving on the part of the commercial bus driver.
Emergency responders and rescue teams were quickly deployed to the scene to provide assistance and evacuate the injured to nearby hospitals.
The identities of the victims have not been released, pending notification of their families.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said it had commenced investigation into the cause of the accident.
LASTMA’s General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed the incident, saying the tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of eight passengers, including the driver of and his conductor.
Bakare-Oki disclosed that those who made up the rescuers are from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force (Morogbo Division), and the 244 Battalion of the Nigerian Army (Ibereko Barracks).
He stated that their timely intervention led to the successful extraction of eight surviving passengers.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the commercial bus lost control while navigating at a high speed, leading to collision with a DAF truck.
“This heart-wrenching incident is a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the urgent need for all road users to embrace caution. No journey should end in such tragedy. May the Almighty grant the deceased eternal rest and console those left behind,” he said.
Bakare-Oki also admonished commercial and heavy-duty vehicle operators to eschew excessive speeding, adhere strictly to safety protocols, and ensure regular maintenance of their vehicles to avoid unnecessary fatalities.
“This regrettable loss of lives could have been avoided if the basic tenets of defensive driving and vehicular safety had been upheld. Speed remains a silent killer on our highways,” he warned.
The General Manager reiterated the Agency’s transition from conventional traffic regulation to a more holistic incident management paradigm.
This shift, he noted, is in alignment with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda, which prioritizes preventive safety measures, rapid emergency response, and infrastructural innovation in urban mobility.
“We are no longer merely controlling traffic; we are managing emergencies, mitigating disasters, and saving lives. This is the ethos of contemporary traffic administration,” he emphasized.
He also highlighted the deployment of speed-limiting mechanisms at critical flashpoints across Lagos—part of the State Government’s broader commitment to reducing road carnage, protecting commuters, and fostering a culture of compliance and safety.