A fatal road accident at Atura Bus Stop along the Badagry corridor in Lagos State claimed the lives of eight people and left eight others seriously injured on Sunday, prompting renewed calls for caution among commercial drivers.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), in an official statement, confirmed that a 16-seater commercial Mazda bus (KJA 811 YF) collided with a DAF truck (T1 4636 LA), resulting in a catastrophic scene that left several victims with no chance of survival.
According to preliminary investigations by LASTMA, the commercial bus driver was allegedly speeding recklessly before losing control and crashing into the truck.
“The tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of eight passengers, including the driver and conductor of the bus,” said Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at LASTMA. “It has cast a pall of mourning over the Badagry community.”
Emergency responders from LASTMA, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force (Morogbo Division), and the 244 Battalion of the Nigerian Army (Ibereko Barracks) mobilized swiftly to the scene.
Their joint rescue effort led to the evacuation of eight surviving passengers to the Badagry General Hospital for urgent treatment.
LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who visited the crash site, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives.
He described the incident as a painful reminder of the dangers of high-speed driving and poor vehicle maintenance.
“This is a devastating tragedy. May the Almighty grant the deceased eternal rest and give strength to the families left behind,” Bakare-Oki said. “No journey is worth such a heartbreaking end.”
He extended prayers for the swift recovery of the injured and urged commercial drivers to prioritize safety over speed.
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He also emphasized the need for regular vehicle maintenance and adherence to traffic laws.
“This could have been avoided. Speed remains a silent killer on our roads,” he warned.
Bakare-Oki highlighted LASTMA’s shift toward a more responsive traffic management approach, in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda.
He said the agency is focusing more on emergency response and preventive safety to protect commuters and reduce road fatalities.
“We are not just managing traffic anymore—we are managing lives, emergencies, and safety,” he added, revealing that speed-limiting devices have been deployed at critical accident-prone zones across the state.
This latest incident comes just hours after a separate crash in Ogun State claimed 10 lives and left three others injured, again highlighting the growing concern over road safety on Nigerian highways.
Authorities are once again appealing to motorists, especially operators of commercial and heavy-duty vehicles, to drive responsibly and avoid turning the roads into death traps for innocent passengers.