15 feared dead, 38 injured in Ogun auto crash

Fifteen people were feared dead while 38 others sustained injuries, yesterday, in Ogun State, in a lone accident involving a Mitsubishi bus that fell into a ditch.

It was gathered that the accident occurred about 7.30 am on Omen Bridge along Ijebu-Ode/Ibadan highway, Oru-Ijebu due to overspeeding on the part of the bus driver with number plate XE 331MKA travelling from Sokoto inbound Ijebu-Ode.

Vanguard gathered that apart from the 65 male passengers on board, the bus was loaded with guinea fowls meant to be deposited at a farm in Ijebu-Ode when the accident occurred.

An eyewitness said fifteen passengers lost their lives on the spot, thirty-eight sustained varying degrees of injuries while twelve were rescued unhurt.

He added that the injured were taken to Ijebu-Ode General Hospital for medical attention, the dead bodies were taken to Sabo for burial on the request of the Hausa community.


It was gathered that the bus driver was among the casualties.
The rescue operation was jointly carried out by Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE; Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Nigeria Police and other relevant agencies.

The incident was said to have affected the free flow of traffic in the axis but the law enforcement agents did the needful.

TRACE Public Affairs Officer, Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the development, attributed it to wrongful overtaking by the bus driver.

Akinbiyi, who commiserated with the affected families, also appealed to motorists to avoid over-speeding, especially on narrow roads and edge of bridges, more so with poor visibility occasioned by the harmattan season.