Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, was thrown into mourning on Wednesday following two separate road accidents that claimed the lives of seven people, including three siblings on their way to school.
The first incident occurred in the Celica Kukumoda area along the Ife/Ibadan expressway, where a truck carrying goods reportedly suffered brake failure and ran over the three schoolchildren. The tragic event happened in the early hours of the day as the children were heading to school.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as horrifying. The truck, said to be heavily loaded, lost control and veered off its lane before crushing the unsuspecting children walking by the roadside.
Officers from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) quickly arrived at the scene and moved the remains of the victims to a nearby hospital morgue. The incident caused panic and emotional distress among residents and passersby.
In a separate but equally tragic crash, four more people lost their lives along the Idi-Ori end of the Oyo expressway. The crash involved two commercial vehicles – a yellow Volvo car and a DAF truck. Eyewitnesses said that six people were involved in the crash, with four pronounced dead at the scene and two others rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan for treatment.
One of the witnesses, Mr. Adekunle Adeleke, stated, “The crash happened due to obstruction on the road. It was a head-on collision between the two vehicles, and the impact was very severe.”
FRSC Sector Commander in Oyo State, Mrs. Rosemary Alo, confirmed both incidents. She explained that the police handled the rescue operations in the second crash because it occurred close to their outpost.
“The corpses were taken to UCH by the police, and the vehicles that caused the obstruction have been cleared from the road. Our men from RS11.39 Moniya Unit are on the ground controlling traffic to prevent further accidents,” she added.
Road accidents remain a major cause of death in Nigeria, especially during the rainy season when visibility and road conditions worsen. Experts continue to stress the need for proper vehicle maintenance, road safety education, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws.
Local residents around the Celica Kukumoda area have called on the state government to construct pedestrian walkways and install speed bumps to protect schoolchildren and other road users.
One resident, Mrs. Tayo Ajayi, who witnessed the tragic school incident, said, “It’s painful that innocent children had to die this way. We’ve been asking for speed breakers in this area for a long time, but nothing has been done.”
As families mourn their losses, many Nigerians are once again calling on authorities to take urgent steps to improve road safety, ensure truck inspections, and enforce traffic rules to prevent more avoidable deaths.
