Dare Babalola
Tragedy struck on Ikorodu road, Lagos, on Sunday as an eight-month-old baby and an adult female passenger were killed in a road accident, while ten others sustained injuries.
The incident happened opposite Olabode House, along the Anthony-Obanikoro stretch, when a red Tata commercial bus heading from Palmgrove to Anthony suffered a mechanical failure, losing control.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority confirmed this in a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq.
“Preliminary findings indicate that a red long Tata commercial bus propelled at an excessive and perilous velocity from Palmgroove inward Anthony, suddenly lost mechanical and directional control.
“In a catastrophic sequence of events, the bus veered off its lane, violently breached the median barrier and careened into the opposing carriageway, where it forcefully collided with a moving Volkswagen commercial bus conveying passengers from Anthony toward Palmgroove.
“The sheer violence of the impact resulted in the instantaneous death of an adult female passenger aboard the Volkswagen bus, while an eight-month-old female infant tragically succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision.
“The untimely and heartrending loss of such tender and innocent lives has plunged the entire corridor and indeed the wider community into profound mourning,” the statement read.
In response, LASTMA operatives, with assistance from members of the public, coordinated the rescue of ten victims, including the drivers of both vehicles.
“A total of ten (10) victims, including the drivers of both vehicles, were successfully extricated from the mangled wreckage, all sustaining varying degrees of serious injuries.
“Six (6) trapped passengers were rescued from the Volkswagen commercial bus, while four (4) others were evacuated from the red Tata bus,” the statement added.
The injured were immediately transported to nearby medical facilities by the Lagos State Ambulance Service.
Taofiq explained that security was provided by the Ilupeju Police Division, while the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit recovered the bodies of the deceased.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed deep condolences to the families, particularly the mother of the deceased infant, who survived but sustained serious injuries.
He described the crash as a moment of collective grief and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Bakare-Oki urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to observe speed limits, maintain vehicle roadworthiness—particularly braking systems—and exercise caution on Lagos roads.
“Recklessness on the road remains a deadly menace with irreversible consequences,” he said, reaffirming LASTMA’s commitment to proactive traffic management, rapid emergency response, and public education on road
