Tragedy struck on Tuesday morning as six people were killed after a truck lost control and crashed into vehicles and pedestrians at the Old Toll Gate area of the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway in Ogun State.

The Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed that the crash occurred at about 8:00am.

In a statement, the Public Education Officer of the Ogun Sector Command of the FRSC, Afolabi Odunsi, stated that the truck, which was loaded with vegetable oil, suffered brake failure, causing the driver to lose control in the busy toll gate area.

“A tragic road traffic crash occurred today at approximately 08:00 hrs at the Old Toll Gate, Ota. The incident resulted in the deaths of six individuals and injuries to others,” Odunsi said.

According to him, the articulated vehicle rammed into two other vehicles and bystanders.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the truck suffered mechanical brake failure. Six adults—five males and one female—were confirmed dead, while two adult males sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he added.

Odunsi said the injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the Ifo General Hospital morgue.

He added that the Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Wasiu Lawal, who visited the scene, ordered the immediate removal of roadside traders around the Old Toll Gate to prevent future tragedies.

“To forestall a recurrence at this high-risk corridor, the chairman directed the immediate dislodgement of illegal traders occupying the road verges and pledged the council’s support to the FRSC and other security agencies in enforcing the directive,” Odunsi said.

The Sector Commander, Corps Commander Akinwunmi Fasakin, also urged drivers—especially operators of articulated vehicles—to ensure thorough mechanical checks before embarking on journeys.

Also, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, corroborated the incident, adding that the truck driver fled the scene.

He identified the vehicles involved as a Mack truck with registration number EKY 913 YH, a Suzuki minibus with number plate SMK 16 YK, and a tricycle with number plate AAA 840 QM, attributing the crash to reckless speeding.

“The crash occurred when the driver of a Mack tanker truck, travelling from Ota towards Lagos, drove at excessive speed and rammed into several vehicles, including a tricycle and pedestrians,” Akinbiyi said, adding that six people died while three others sustained injuries.

He said the truck had been towed to a nearby police division, while emergency responders managed traffic and restored normalcy to the area.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said an investigation had commenced into the cause of the crash.

“This morning at about 0930hrs, a fatal motor accident occurred at Ilo-Awela Junction, Toll Gate, along the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway involving a Mack tanker truck, a Suzuki bus, a tricycle and pedestrians,” she said.

She added that several victims were rushed to the General Hospital, Ota, where six were later confirmed dead, while others were receiving treatment. The deceased, she said, had been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.

… London-bound cocaine consignment sent by convicted drug kingpin intercepted

A China-based Nigerian businessman, Ibeanu Vincent Chukwudulue and two Angolan citizens: Mbandu Martins Makiadi and Ngoma Wilson Fernando have excreted a total of 236 wraps of cocaine following their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, respectively.

The 34-year-old Ibeanu was arrested on Wednesday 4th February 2026 while on board a Qatar Airways flight 1432, from Kano to China enroute Abuja/Doha. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport demanded that the suspect be deboarded following which he was taken for body scan. The result confirmed the suspect ingested illicit drug.

A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect was placed under observation during which he excreted a total of 52 pellets of cocaine that weighed 735.95 grams. In his statement, Ibeanu said he was into business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guanzhou, China in 2024.

Similarly, the duo of Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52, both Angolans were intercepted on Wednesday 4th February at the screening point of the departure hall of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano during the outward clearance of passengers going to Istanbul, Turkey via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.

“When they were taken for body scan, they tested positive for ingesting illicit drug. As a result, they were kept under observation for possible excretion. While Mbandu excreted a total of 76 wraps weighing 920 grams in seven excretions, Ngoma expelled 108 pellets that weighed 1.33 kilograms in five excretions.

“During interview, the suspects who hail from Hoji Ya Henda in Luanda, the capital of Angola claimed they were recruited by a Luanda-based automobile spare parts dealer who promised to pay them $3000 each upon successful delivery of the consignments in Turkey,” Babafemi stated.

Meanwhile, an attempt by a convicted drug kingpin Olashupo Michael Oladimeji to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules, popularly known as Garri to London, United Kingdom, on a Virgin Atlantic flight, has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.

Babafemi said: “Olashupo is presently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, after NDLEA arrested him in 2025 in connection with a case of unlawful conspiracy to export 17.90kg cocaine, and was successfully prosecuted, convicted and sentenced in charge number FHC/L/925C/2025, by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

“Not ready to give up on his criminal enterprise, the convict who is the Chief Executive Officer of Dimeji Express Logistics, located at 20 Omilade Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, initiated the latest scheme from behind the prison wall to export the 1.10kg cocaine, using his company.

“His lid was, however, uncovered on Thursday 12th February when NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted a consignment of compressed block of cocaine, hidden in a sack of Garri which was further packed inside a carton.

“A staff of Dimeji Express Logistics, Adedeji Yusuf Gbolahan who presented the consignment for export was promptly arrested. Investigations revealed that Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, initiated the trafficking scheme from prison and directed Yusuf to pick the consignment at a location in Oshodi.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has warned Nigerians to remain vigilant after operatives uncovered illicit substances concealed in children’s toys and garri.

The agency disclosed this in a statement shared by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on X on Sunday, noting that the discovery highlights the increasingly desperate tactics adopted by drug traffickers to move illegal consignments.

Babafemi said consignments of methamphetamine were concealed inside Hollandia yoghurt packs and MP3 players, a tactic uncovered by NDLEA operatives during recent operations.

Sharing videos, Babafemi wrote, “Narco-trends: FYI, children’s toys and our popular cassava granules (Garri) are not spared in their desperation to conceal and traffic illicit substances. Please beware and take a look at how #ndlea_nigeria officers discovered this.”