8 Feared Dead in Lagos-Badagry Expressway Crash as Eyewitnesses Blame Soldiers for Tragedy

A tragic accident along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway claimed at least eight lives in the early hours of Sunday after a commercial bus collided with a stationary trailer allegedly stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint.

The fatal crash occurred at MTN Bus Stop, near the Elijah area of the expressway, when an 18-seater bus traveling from Lagos to Badagry rammed into the back of a trailer halted at a military checkpoint.

Eyewitnesses at the scene accused soldiers and police officers of creating a deadly bottleneck in their pursuit of bribes. In a viral video, a witness speaking in Yoruba blamed the accident on what he described as the soldiers’ greed.

“This is what happens when soldiers stop vehicles just to collect ₦1,000 bribes. Look at the dead bodies, look at the people who just wanted to earn a living. Now they’re gone,” the eyewitness lamented.

The disturbing video shows at least seven lifeless bodies scattered at the scene.

Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reported that eight people, including the driver and conductor, died on the spot.

Frequent users of the Lagos-Badagry route have long decried the excessive number of checkpoints between Mile 2 and the Owode-Apa border. A source told SaharaReporters:

“This stretch has more checkpoints than any other part of West Africa. These checkpoints have never stopped insecurity or smuggling; they just enable corruption. Accidents like this are the result.”

The source further highlighted the chronic neglect in the area, including a total electricity blackout since the COVID-19 pandemic and poor infrastructure, compounding the suffering of residents.

Attempts to reach the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Lt. Col. Onyinyechi Anele, for comments were unsuccessful as calls to her mobile phone went unanswered.

The incident has reignited public outrage over the abuse of power by security agencies, with many calling for urgent reforms and removal of unnecessary roadblocks on major highways.