Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Gridlock Traps Motorists for Over 12 Hours After Kara Bridge Crash
- A seven-vehicle crash at Kara Bridge on Tuesday morning triggered a massive gridlock that stretched from Ogun State deep into Lagos
- LASEMA confirmed a container truck lost control after a mechanical fault, ramming into six other vehicles on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
- Some motorists spent the night on the road as frustrated drivers moving against traffic made the congestion worse
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway - A seven-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday left motorists stranded for more than 12 hours, with some spending the night on the road after a massive gridlock brought movement along Nigeria's busiest highway to a near-complete halt.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said its LRT Tiger Squad received a distress call and was deployed to the scene at 6:05am, arriving within its projected response time.
Source: Twitter
According to LASEMA Permanent Secretary Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, a 40-foot container truck without a registration number developed a mechanical fault while moving, causing its driver to lose control and collide with six other vehicles.
Those vehicles were a Toyota Hilux, an interstate bus, a Hyundai Odyssey, a Sienna, a Toyota Highlander, and a Mitsubishi Hilux. No deaths or injuries were recorded.
How the gridlock spread
The crash, which happened in the early hours of Tuesday, initially disrupted traffic heading towards the Ogun end of the expressway. The disruption quickly worsened and spread beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro before extending back into Lagos. Motorists travelling from Lagos towards Ogun State were already stuck in traffic by 7am, and conditions deteriorated throughout the day.
The situation grew worse when some drivers, fed up with the standstill, began driving against traffic to escape. That decision created a fresh bottleneck for vehicles heading towards Lagos.
Commuters travelling from Ikeja towards Ojodu were also unable to make a U-turn at the Road Safety point along Ogunnusi Road, leaving them stranded for several hours on their way to the Ojodu-Berger and Alagbole axis.
One motorist said he had been stuck for over five hours and missed an appointment as a result. An X user who posted a video from the road at around 6am described what he saw:
"This is 6:00, and we are still stuck. It's a full lockdown. No movement. You will think today is the day trucks come to Lagos. Only trucks you see on the road."
Emergency response and clearance
LASEMA activated its incident management protocol and worked alongside the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigeria Police Force.
Private towing trucks were brought in to support the recovery, and all affected vehicles were eventually removed from the carriageway to the roadside.
Oke-Osanyintolu said LASTMA officials remained at the scene after clearance to monitor traffic and help restore the flow of movement. The recovered vehicles were handed over to the police for documentation and further action.
The gridlock was made worse by ongoing repair works on the expressway, which have reduced available lanes and left the corridor with little room to absorb disruptions of this scale.
Source: Original
Cabstar hits truck on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that a fatal road crash at Ipara Remo on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, left four male adults dead.
The FRSC confirmed a Mitsubishi Cabstar rammed into a moving HOWO truck while attempting to overtake at high speed in the early hours.
The Ogun State Sector Commander called on motorists to rest before long trips and avoid unsafe overtaking, especially at night.
Source: Legit.ng
