Bridge of chaos and carnage

ν Many lives lost, vehicles wrecked, livelihoods ruined as chilling crashes haunt Otedola Bridge

ν Lagos govt embarks on measures to halt perpetual crashes on bridge

To many, it is the bridge to chaos and carnage. Virtually every day, Otedola Bridge produces gridlocks – pure hellish traffic congestions- on an industrial scale. But that’s not the worse part.

Otedola Bridge, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, is also a major harbinger of death, destruction and distress from time to time.

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Otedola Bridge, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, was the scene of yet another major accident. Five vehicles were involved in a multiple, five-vehicle collision that led to a total lockdown on the road and several other highways as well as inner roads in Ojodu, Ogba, Ikeja, Ikorodu Road and other parts of Lagos.

The accident involved a container-laden truck and two other trucks, as well as two cars. The wreckage stayed on the road for hours while official emergency responders worked hard to rescue survivors and move the affected vehicles out of the road.

Otedola Bridge

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), in its report on the accident, informed that a moving truck with a container had developed a mechanical fault on the road, lost control and hit three vehicles before another truck rammed into the crashed vehicles.

It was gathered that five people were rescued alive.

But that is not an isolated case. Although such accidents had reduced on the road for some time, the bridge has, for years, become notorious for motor accidents.

Otedola Bridge was constructed between 1974 and 1978 and opened in August 1978 as part of the initial completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It is about 800 metres long, with two lanes on each side. It is the bridge that connects to Berger on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, going from there to the Kara Bridge and then onwards to Ibadan.

Findings revealed that Otedola bridge was built at a time when Lagos had less than 12 million people. The expressway was designed to move cargo between Apapa Port and the North.

Today Lagos has over 22 million people, and that same link bridge now carries over 250,000 vehicles daily. Tankers carrying 33,000 litres of PMS and diesel now use the same bridge that was designed for smaller trucks.

However, in the last 10 years, those few minutes on the bridge have cost Lagos more lives, more trauma, and more gridlock than almost any other single stretch of road in the state.

Findings revealed that the bridge had recorded more than 18 different major accidents in the last 10 years, apart from minor ones. Some of these accidents have also claimed peoples’ lives, causing grief and discomfort.

For instance, a few years ago, a couple that got married just a week before the date met their untimely death in a tanker fire that engulfed the bridge. Photos of their burnt car went viral. The story broke the internet for days.

Accidents on Otedola bridge

The catalogue of accidents on Otedola Bridge presents remains scary and gory. Some commuters also wonder if there could be any spiritual side to the recurrent accidents that have made the bridge a dark spot for motorists.

Available public records from the Federal Road Safety Commission, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and other government agencies showed various incidents of crashes, fires, and fatalities from 2014 to 2025, which shows the Otedola Bridge as one of Lagos State’s most dangerous spots.

It has also been alleged that the bridge might have some “engineering challenges” that cause most crashes along the corridor.

For instance, in 2016, there was no major incident reported in the public record for the year, but on January 19, 2017, a petrol tanker lost control and fell off the bridge. But no casualty was recorded.

The accident, findings revealed was as a result of brake failure and complete negligence on the part of the truck driver. The following year, 2018 was referred to as one of the worst years for commuters plying the bridge. An incident that occurred on the bridge claimed 12 lives.

Reports showed that the incident happened on June 28, 2018 when a tanker loaded with petrol fell, leaked and exploded. 12 people were said to have lost their lives as 54 vehicles got burnt as a result of the fire that engulfed the whole bridge.

The FRSC initially confirmed nine dead. However, Lagos State Government later put it at 12, even as DNA analysis was carried out to identify the victims.

The incident was described as one of the of the worst incidents in the state in that year.

Also on June 30, which was two days after the sad incident, another accident occurred.Nine persons got injured but there was no casualty.

The FRSC reports had it that in 2018 alone, there were three incidents recorded on Otedola bridge with 12 deaths and 63 vehicles affected.

Also on March 5 2019, it was reported that a diesel tanker fell off the bridge, but no lives were lost. It was also reported that on September 20, 2019, an empty diesel tanker fell and caused a lot of disruption. Also in October of the same year, a tanker carrying 33,000 litres, was said to have overturned. The incident reportedly caused fuel spillage and four persons were injured.

Accident scene on Otedola bridge

In 2019, seven incidents were recorded on Otedola bridge as four persons got injured.

In 2020, between January 4 and December 31, five incidents were recorded with three deaths and 27 persons injured.

One of the incidents occurred on October 17, where a container truck loaded with fabric collided with petrol tanker. Both were razed by fire. But a family of six also escaped unharmed.

Between March 2021 and July 18 2021, three incidents were listed by the Federal Roads Safety Corps, with two deaths were recorded.

Also between May 27 2022 and December 2024, there were reports of fire outbreaks caused by a tanker crash.

Though no major casualty figures were recorded, findings revealed also that in September 23, 2023 one fatal truck accident claimed one death on the bridge and caused significant traffic disruption.

There was no major tanker accidents recorded on the bridge in 2024. But as some believed it was sheer luck, many considered it as a sign of improved safety measures by road users.

The respite enjoyed by commuters in 2024 on Otedola Bridge didn’t last, because on March 11 2025, a 30- tonne gas tanker overturned and exploded on that day.

The late Publisher of Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo narrowly escaped death in the incident. However, his wife’s car was totally razed while their mechanic lost his life.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) report stated that the incident claimed four lives. Also destroyed were 15 automobiles and eight tricycles. A church, dental clinic and plaza were also affected. The sad event also claimed the lives of a newly wedded couple: Chiedozie Okoye and Joan Chidalu.

In January this year, the bridge also witnessed a multiple-vehicle accident involving two heavy-duty trailers.

According to findings, the two trailers collided after drivers attempted to outmanoeuvre each other. The accident left in its wake one death. One of the drivers of the trailers was said to have died on the spot as a sand-laden trailer tumbled on the bridge while another flour laden trailer overturned 50 metres away.

With the accident, a large fraction of the carriageway was blocked and there was terrible traffic on that day.

With the reports of accidents and casualties recorded on Otedola Bridge in the last couple of years, commuters have continued to feel concerned. The causes, findings revealed were majorly human and mechanical.

For instance, an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who did not want to be mentioned, identified overloading, speed violation, loss of control and brake failure as some of the causes of accidents on the bridge.

According to him, the Sector Commander, Kehinde Hamzat, had on many occasions described the Otedola Bridge as being “notorious” for accidents.

Mr Jaleel Adebayo, a civil engineer also said the bridge was never designed for the weight and volume it carries today.

According to him, those trucks plying the bridge are heavily loaded and most times many of the drivers drive while the brakes of their trucks are faulty.

“When a 30-tonne tanker loses brakes on a slope, physics takes over. There is no runaway truck ramp here like you have in the United States or South Africa.

“It is also very important to note that the 800-metre descent towards Berger is another problem for trailers who always find it difficult to navigate the slope.”

Adebayo explained further that there are three things that could be done to help solve the problem on the Otedola Bridge. In his words, these are the construction of a weight bridge at Berger to check overloading, speed cameras, and an escape lane for failing trucks.

He, therefore urged Lagos State Government to ban people from trading on or beneath the bridge as that could be dangerous for commuters.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer M&M Icon ventures, Mr Soji Amusan, narrated a recent experience he had on the bridge.

According to him, a fully loaded fuel tanker lost control along the bridge and blocked three lanes.

“Within minutes, the entire expressway ground to a total standstill, trapping thousands of us in a five-hour deadlock between 7Up and Kara.

“ Motorists were turning off their engines and walking between vehicles in the dark, trying to navigate panic as rumours of fuel leaks spread.

“It wasn’t just the lost time; it was the sheer vulnerability of being trapped in a known fire hazard. That experience proved why we need both strict enforcement and bold infrastructure—specifically an overhead bypass from 7Up straight to Berger—so inter-state traffic can safely skip the hazards of the Otedola dip altogether,” he said.

Amusan pointed out that the Otedola Bridge corridor along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway is undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable and high-risk bottlenecks in the state.

He explained further that the bridge serves as a primary entry and exit artery for the state, even as he noted that approaching this axis usually trigger a distinct sense of anxiety for most of the commuters due to its severe history of heavy tanker explosions, container spills, and fatal collisions.

Amusan stated that whenever an articulated vehicle breaks down, spills its cargo, or catches fire on or around the bridge, the fallout is immediate and catastrophic.

“Traffic rapidly locks up across both inward and outward corridors, stretching back toward the 7Up/Secretariat axis on one end and beyond Kara Bridge on the other. Commuters regularly find themselves trapped in static gridlock for three to six hours over what should ordinarily be a 10-minute drive,” he stated.

For Mrs Emmanueller Ekpo, who has been selling bottled groundnut on the Otedola Bridge for the past eight years, fear has become part of the business. According to her, the risk is too high but she has no option.

“Any time we hear the sound of a big truck struggling on top of the bridge, everybody will scatter. We have seen fire before. If anything happens today, we don’t have insurance.

“Lagos State Government officials have come on different occasions to chase us away from the bridge after every major accident, but after some days, we will always return to continue our hustling.

“Where do we go?”.This is where customers pass. But in our hearts, we know this place is not safe,” she said.

Following continuous fire and crash incidents on the Otedola Bridge, Lagos State Government had conducted integrity assessments on the bridge infrastructure to address structural damage and bolster technical safety safeguards.

Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a recent statement, reiterated the need for safety consciousness at all times.

He stated this while he was also on an assessment visit to the Otedola Bridge

Osiyemi affirmed that though there was a road sign signifying ‘No Truck Allowed’ at the corridor where the accident happened, the truck driver violated the rule, which led to an inferno.

He maintained that this has necessitated further deployment of technical safety measures to avert such occurrences from happening in the future.

He also stated that the assessment initiative afforded the team a broader view, which is not limited to transport infrastructure alone, but other structures affected by the inferno, including the structural cracks on the bridge and its surrounding facilities, to determine its integrity status.

Osiyemi also urged heavy-duty vehicle drivers to always uphold the highest safety standards and cooperate with government efforts to safeguard lives and property, adding that Lagos remains committed to a safer, more resilient transport system for all.

He noted also that Lagos State Government is restricting heavy-duty tankers to designated trailer routes, enforcing mandatory road-worthiness certificates, and stepping up compliance checks after recent accidents on the bridge.

According to him, authorities have limited fuel tankers and articulated trucks to specific approved corridors rather than unrestricted routes in the state.

A Lagos resident and digital analyst, Adekunle Lawal said the Otedola Bridge has earned a reputation that other black spots like Kara and even the popular Third Mainland bridge do not have.

“While Kara records breakdowns and third mainland records traffic, Otedola Bridge records fireballs. Videos of burnt vehicles and charred bodies from Otedola Bridge often go viral within minutes, deepening the fear.

“Therefore, whenever you see Otedola Bridge trending on social media, you already know it’s bad.

“That is why people are more scared of Otedola Bridge than traffic itself because the repeated trauma has created what they call anticipatory anxiety among commuters. The bridge built to connect people now divides them between those who survived and those who didn’t,” he stated.

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