From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
An auto accident on the Lagos-Ibadan highway on Thursday night has claimed the lives of 30 passengers and 10 others injured. The accident, which involved two 18-seater Mazda buses painted white with two green stripes on each side and believed to be Oyo State colour for commercial buses, occurred at Kilometre 95 around Elebolo Quary area on the Ibadan axis of the road around 8:30pm.
One of the buses said to be heading towards Ibadan from Lagos, reportedly overtook a truck and a bus at the same time at Elebolo, which falls under Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, but could not return to its lane before it collided with another bus heading to Lagos.
The injured person, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stated, were taken to the lbadan Central Hospital, Ososami, Ibadan and the dead have been taken to the morgue of Adeoyo State Hospital, Ring Road, Ibadan. National spokesman of FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, confirmed the death of 30 persons and 10 passengers that sustained injuries.
But the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu, a Superintendent of Police, told Saturday Sun on phone that 31 persons died and 11 others were injured in the auto crash. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Odude, was said to have visited the scene of the accident.
Kazeem stated that the rescue team of the FRSC got to the accident scene some minutes after the incident, adding that the rescue operations ended at 2:42am on Friday. “The crash occurred at a construction site, and it resulted from route and speed violations. This has further underscored the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi’s advice to motorists to avoid night journeys, be careful around construction sites and drive within approved speed limits,” he disclosed.
The dead passengers, according to the Oyo State Head of Operations, FRSC, Mr. Cyril Matthew, who was at the accident scene on Friday, comprised 20 male adults and 10 female adults. He added that the accident was caused by over speeding.
One of the survivors, Mr. Busari Owolabi, who was in the bus heading towards Ibadan, told newsmen on the hospital bed that the passengers cautioned the driver against overspeeding but he refused to listen.