KEY POINTS

• Two people died after a speeding container truck rammed into a stationary truck on the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway.
• Emergency responders and police coordinated a complex rescue and recovery operation to clear the scene.
• Authorities are urging stricter compliance with traffic rules following multiple recent truck-related fatalities in Lagos.

A tragic road accident involving two fully loaded 40-foot container trucks has claimed the lives of two people along the Cele inward axis of the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway in Lagos, officials confirmed on Thursday.

According to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, one of the deceased in the accident was the driver of a truck identified as T-392 LA, while the second victim was believed to be a trespasser whose presence near the vehicles could not immediately be explained.

Rescue operation and recovery efforts

The agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Adebayo Taofiq, said the driver was trapped inside the crushed steering compartment in the accident and had to be painstakingly extracted by LASTMA’s rescue team.

The second victim of the accident was later recovered from beneath one of the trucks after a coordinated search conducted under strict safety measures.

Emergency response teams worked in collaboration with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, whose technical support proved crucial in handling the complex rescue and recovery operation.

Officers from the Ilasa Police Division secured the scene, maintaining order and safeguarding evidence while emergency crews carried out their duties.

Authorities also confirmed that environmental health officials swiftly evacuated the bodies, allowing gradual reopening of traffic along the heavily used logistics route, which is vital for cargo movement in the state.

LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, revealed that early findings indicate one of the trucks rammed into another stationary container truck from behind, likely due to excessive speed.

The impact was severe enough to trap both the driver and his assistant inside the cabin, and they were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials said efforts are ongoing to remove the wrecked trucks and spilled cargo so that normal traffic flow can resume. Motorists have been urged to remain patient and obey traffic directives while clearance operations continue.