The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has expressed deep sorrow over two separate but equally devastating midnight accidents.

One  of the accidents claimed two lives at the Otedola Bridge inward the Berger axis of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, and the other left two people critically injured near the UNILAG waterfront inward Lagos Island on the Third Mainland Bridge. Both incidents occurred in the early hours of Monday.

Initial reports on the Otedola Bridge crash indicate that an unregistered vehicle carrying two occupants, including the driver, was travelling at an excessively dangerous speed when it rammed into a moving, heavily laden trailer at about 2:30 a.m. The force of the collision killed both occupants instantly. In a troubling development, the trailer driver fled the scene with the articulated vehicle.

LASTMA’s 24-hour Night-Gang Teams, stationed within the Otedola corridor for nocturnal surveillance and pre-emptive traffic control, responded swiftly. Officers removed the victims from the carriageway to prevent secondary hazards and carefully cleared the wreckage from the expressway.

Officers from the Isheri Police Division provided additional security support, while the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SHEMU) later evacuated the bodies in line with established emergency and public-health procedures.

In a separate incident, another serious crash occurred at about 5:00 a.m. on the Third Mainland Bridge, close to the UNILAG waterfront inward Lagos Island. The collision, involving an empty tanker and a pure-water distribution van (SMK 67 XH), left two people severely injured. They received immediate first aid from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being taken to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

Despite the disturbing nature of both incidents, LASTMA officers maintained steady control of traffic along the two corridors, safeguarding motorists and preventing additional risks.

LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and lamented what he described as needless and preventable deaths caused by reckless speeding and a blatant disregard for road-safety regulations.

He reaffirmed the Agency’s uncompromising stance on adherence to government-approved speed limits, stressing that compliance is essential for the protection of life and the prevention of avoidable tragedies.

Bakare-Oki also commended the professionalism and rapid response of the Night-Gang Teams. He emphasised that LASTMA’s 24-hour surveillance, emergency response competence and traffic-management operations across Lagos will remain in full force into the coming year, in line with the Lagos State Government’s commitment to public safety and orderly mobility.