KEY POINTS
- N30,000 car racing bet ended in five deaths.
- Victims included three racers and two bystanders.
- Social media videos captured the aftermath of the crash.
A car race organised over a N30,000 wager in Ogun State has ended in tragedy, leaving five people dead and several others injured.The accident occurred around 1:40 p.m. on Monday in the Ipara area of Remo, when one of the participating vehicles lost control and ploughed into a roadside shop.
Eyewitnesses said the race was organised by three young men suspected to be internet fraudsters, locally known as Yahoo boys. Two bystanders were killed instantly, while the driver and two other occupants of the vehicle suffered serious injuries before being rushed to separate hospitals.
Eyewitness accounts detail moments before the crash
Footage circulating on social media showed the mangled wreckage of an unregistered Lexus and the damaged shop it struck. In the videos, voices of distraught onlookers could be heard lamenting the deaths as emergency responders worked to free the trapped occupants.
A resident, who requested anonymity, said the N30,000 prize fuelled the high-speed contest. “One of the cars lost control and rammed into a shop, killing two people on the spot,” the witness said. “The rest were taken to hospitals, but sadly, none survived.”
Traffic agency confirms fatalities in car racing bet
According to Punch, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency spokesperson Babatunde Akinbiyi confirmed that the driver died at the scene, while the other two passengers succumbed to injuries later in the hospital.
The crash has sparked renewed concerns about illegal street racing in the state, particularly when linked to high-stakes bets. Authorities have yet to identify the victims or announce any arrests.
