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Tag: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

  • Kidnapping: Police beef up security on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    Kidnapping: Police beef up security on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    The Police Commands in Oyo and Ogun States have beefed up security on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway following the resurgence of criminal activities along the route.

    There have been recurring reports of kidnapping and other security challenges along the 131 kilometre road.

    The Spokesman of the police in Oyo state, SP Adewale Osifeso said in a statement on Thursday that Commissioner of Police Adebowale Williams had vowed to rid the area of undesirable criminal elements.

    Williams in company of his Ogun state counterpart, Lanre Bankole, on Thursday undertook strategic assessment patrol along the highway and deployed personnel and assets to forestall further attack.

    He said both commands have also restructured the security apparatus around Lagos-Sagamu-Sapade-Onigari axis.

    “The security architecture of both commands were also deliberately remodelled with cooperation from adjoining state police commands to deal decisively with criminal elements.

    “Whose mindset is to use both states as criminal hideouts after being dislodged.”

    He advised the citizens of the states not to panic because of the enhanced presence of security personnel and equipment in the area.

    The spokesman said there would be joint intelligence-led surveillance, aggressive patrols, combing of forests alongside local hunters and vigilante members and other permanent visibility policing measures.

    He urged the public to provide the police with timely and credible information on suspected criminals around them.

  • Many injured as gunmen attack bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    Many injured as gunmen attack bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    Unknown gunmen clad in military camouflage on Tuesday reportedly attacked travellers plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    It was gathered that the gunmen suspected to be kidnappers stormed out from the bush before the Sagamu interchange en route Lagos and started shooting sporadically at the motorists and the 18 seater inter- state bus.

    According to one of the victims who spoke on condition of  anonymity said many were lucky tp escape with bullet wounds.

    His words “We (passengers) were only lucky to escape the gunmen but many of us have been injured by the bullets and our bus has been badly damaged too.”

    Another video shows a man who survived bullet wounds recounting his experience saying, “I thought I was dead, having been shot by them.

    “They faced our vehicle shooting at us, we all lay down except the driver who was the target. They thought we were all dead and retreated into the bush.

    “The joint patrol team of police officers from Ogun and Oyo states arrived at the scene later.

    All attempts to reach the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, for further details proved abortive as of the time of filing this report. He did not take his calls nor reply to the text message sent to his phone.

  • Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Kidnap victim narrates ordeal in captivity

    Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Kidnap victim narrates ordeal in captivity

    Aminat Taiwo one of the abductees forcefully taken away by unknown gunmen on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, last week has narrated her ordeal.

    Taiwo confirmed that her dad paid a ransom of 3.2m  before she was released alongside her friend Tobi Orekoya.

    Aminat explained that they were on their way to a wedding in Ibadan when the kidnappers accosted them on the expressway.

    Taiwo told  pressmen that all the kidnapped victims were told to queue and enter the forest at the Ibadan end of the road.

    The victim, her friend and some other road users were kidnapped last Friday near the Sat Guru Maharaji Garden at the Ibadan end of the expressway.

    The abductors contacted the families of the victims and demanded ransom ranging from N50m to N10m.

    It was, however, reported that Aminat, her friend, a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Adigun Agbaje, and a student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Olayemi Adejare, were released on Sunday after two days in captivity.

    Aminat added that the kidnappers didn’t give them food or drinks during their stay in captivity.

    She added that some who couldn’t meet up their demands after the deadline were killed in the forest.

    She said, “Those kidnappers were more than 30; they covered their faces. They were putting on army and police uniforms.

    “They were armed to the teeth; they had guns, swords, knives and other weapons.

    “They asked us to lie down and collected all our money and phones. They collected gold chains, wristwatches, and other jewellery.

    “At first, we thought they just wanted to rob us, but to our greatest surprise, after stripping us of everything we had, they asked us to start moving inside a deep forest. We walked for more than two hours inside the forest. When we got to a place, they asked us to lie down.

    “We were moving in the forest for several hours; they did not give us water or food. We licked water on leaves in the forest.

    “For the two days I spent with them, we did not stay too long in a place before they moved us to another place.”

    Her father, Kayode Taiwo, said the family raised N800,000 from donations across the world.

    He, however, said family members and friends supported him before he raised the money demanded by the kidnappers.

    He said, “Some people donated N1,000, N500, N200, N400. By the time we calculated everything, it was around N800,000.

    “I paid N2m as ransom for my daughter, while her friend’s parents paid N1.2m. But I was the one that handed over everything to them at the hideout.

    “When I was at Toll Gate, they asked me to wait there and collect the money the mother of my daughter’s friend was bringing. They told me I should come alone that the woman could not come to where they were.”

     

  • Lagos- Ibadan Expressway: Oyo monarch’s daughter released by abductors

    Lagos- Ibadan Expressway: Oyo monarch’s daughter released by abductors

    The abducted Oyo monarch’s daughter, Temi Oyediran who was  forcefully taken away alongside others on Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Friday by unknown persons  has been released.

    It was gathered that some passengers travelling on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Friday were kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

    Princess Oyediran is one of the daughters of Onpetu of Ijeru kingdom in Oyo State, Oba Sunday Oladapo Oyediran.

    Sources from the palace noted that the palace has been informed about her release.

    The daughter of the monarch was released Sunday night, though it was not clear if ransom was paid before her release.

    The palace source said, “what is important is that she came back safely.”

  • Tanker explosion claims 10 lives on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    Tanker explosion claims 10 lives on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    No fewer than 10 people were burnt to death in a tanker explosion at Araromi on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday morning.

    Mr Ahmed Umar, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta.

    Umar said that the accident occurred around Conoil in Araromi before Sagamu Interchange on the expressway.

    According to him, five vehicles were burnt in the raging inferno.

    He said that victims of the accidents were burnt beyond recognition.

    According to him, the vehicles involved in the accident are: a Mack truck marked AKL 198 ZT; an Iveco truck with no registration number; a Mazda bus marked FFE 361 XB, an unmarked Howo truck and the Mack tanker.

    He attributed the cause of the accident to speeding by driver of the Iveco truck.

    “Driver of the Iveco truck, who was travelling on top speed lost control and rammed into the tanker, which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage,”

    He added that the Mazda bus was engulfed by the fire, saying that all those that died were in the bus.

    “The suspected cause of the multiple crash was excessive speed which led to loss of control on the part of the Iveco truck and smashed the tanker body which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage.

    “The Mazda bus got engulfed in the spark of the fire,” Umar said.

    He added that the deceased were taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.

    Umar, after visiting scene of the accident, commiserated with families of the victims.

    He advised motorists to drive cautiously, obey traffic rules and regulations, and as well consider other road users while driving.

    Earlier, FRSC had advised motorists and public to use alternative routes on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway due to a tanker explosion at Araromi Town before the Interchange.

    Umar said: “The rescue operation is still on and people involved were yet to be confirmed because a bus is also involved.

    “The crash scene was cordoned off to avoid secondary crash as traffic has been diverted.

    “Men of Fire Service have arrived at the scene and effort is being made to put out the fire. Traffic has been temporarily diverted at Lufuwape U-turn to ease the traffic situation,” he said.

    The sector commander advised motorists to remain calm and cooperate with traffic managers controlling the situation,” he said.

  • Why Lagos-Ibadan expressway is suffering delay – Fashola

    Why Lagos-Ibadan expressway is suffering delay – Fashola

    The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola says the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is suffering delay because of the drainage channel being constructed across the road by the Oyo State Government in its Ibadan axis.

    The minister disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inaugural edition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration Scorecard 2015-2023 Series, organised by his Ministry of Information and Culture.

    The scorecard series which features ministers and top government officials is designed to showcase the achievements of the administration as it winds down.

    Fashola said the 127.6km expressway had recorded a lot of progress and appealed to motorists and commuters to endure the delays being encountered at the Ibadan and Lagos axis, respectively.

    “The Oyo State Government is building a drainage channel across the road, so we are having difficulties because the contractor has slowed down and we have to slow down too.

    “We do not want to finish the road and come back to destroy it for the drainage channel construction.

    “On the Lagos axis, we are working on the last six kilometres into Lagos; that is a very highly densely populated area.

    “We left it for the last because we knew it to be the most difficult.

    “We are appealing that you bear with us and we are hoping that very soon there will be relief there,’’ he said.

    The minister said the two axis were the last finishing touches to the completion of the project and it would be delivered soon.

    Speaking on Bodo-Bonny Island road project in Rivers State, the minister said for centuries, the island had not been accessible by road until Buhari’s administration.

    “This is the island where the famous King Jaja of Opobo used to dominate, centuries ago.

    “Bonny Island is one of the places where very vast resources are produced into the economy of Nigeria in terms of natural gas.

    “For the first time, this government is building a road and jetties of 39 kilometers combined into the island.

    Fashola assured timely completion of the project, which he said would offer neighboring communities reliable access to Bodo town, improve socio-economic connectivity and commerce in the area

    The Bodo-Bonny road will be the first to connect oil-rich Bonny Island to mainland Rivers State, a major landmark in the region’s history.

    “The construction of this road, runs through most difficult of terrains and other challenging environmental factors like a 7km low-lying marshy land with tidal movements,” he added.

  • FG assures travelers of completion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December

    FG assures travelers of completion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December

    The Director, South-West, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Adedamola Kuti, has assured travelers that the inward and outward sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be completed on or before December 2022.

    Recall that in August travelers encountered challenges when approaching Alausa in Ikeja, from Magboro. Some of these travelers spend hours on a journey that ordinarily should not be up to an hour.

    Speaking about the works, Kuti said, “The entire Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, both inward and outward Lagos, will be completed in December 2022.”

    Giving an update on the road construction, Kuti said the traffic gridlock on the axis was normal and would last till the end of the ongoing construction on the busy road.

    He said, “You can’t expect less from a road that is under construction and at the same time being used by people. Of course, there will be traffic and one thing people should know is that this particular highway is the busiest in the whole of West Africa.

    “So, whatever people are experiencing there now is something we expected, because this road carries the whole traffic of all the 36 states.”

    Giving reasons as to why the traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was bad, he further said, “Coming on four-lane into a construction zone, and in that construction zone, you can’t speed, the allowable speed in a construction zone is 30km/h. But now, we are not getting that 30km/h because when you stay longer, it is either a vehicle must have broken down, most especially at the diversion area.”

    Kuti added, “Some of them, in trying to divert, will be struggling with each other and in the process, there will be an accident. Some even stop by to pick up passengers, while some people do petty business in the same area.”

    Speaking further, he noted that if not for the above reasons mentioned, the road would be a continuous zone.

    “One of the delays is the rain; it slows activity and the progress of work,” he stressed.

  • ASUU: Protesting Nigerian students block Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    ASUU: Protesting Nigerian students block Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    University Students, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students, stormed the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Shagamu interchange to protest the continued closure of Public universities by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) in the country.

    NANS coordinator, South-West Zone, and National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Adegboye Emmanuel and Giwa Temitope, issued a statement on protest ground.

    According to them, Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari  has failed in its promises and responsibility in revamping education in the country.

    The statement reads in part “There is no point arguing about who is at fault or what is to be done, it is very clear that the rulers underfund education and the Buhari government is failing in its promises to revamp education.

    “As it is today, no higher institution in Nigeria is world-class! Yet, our so-called public servants travell all over the world spending billions to send their kids abroad for studies.

    “As major stakeholders in the educational sector, we are the ones who can save ourselves. We have monitored the yearnings of students from campus to campus through their social media platforms and also in their public writings. Students all over Nigeria stand with ASUU. Our lecturers suffer the same hardships and mal-developments we suffer. The staff houses are as bad as the students’ hostels. In South Africa, a professor’s laboratory is far more equipped than that of any university in Nigeria.

    “History has been killed and undermined, so we the youths, do not know where we are coming from not to talk of knowing where we are headed. But we will not lament anymore. The new leadership of NANS is here to work with students to achieve our set aims and objectives. We believe that the student movement has its place in history. It is a task that we vow to fulfill. We will never let Nigerian students down!” The statement partly read.

    Standing with ASUU, they stated their demands as follows:

    “We call on ASUU leadership for a meeting as as soon as possible to discuss solidarity actions and plan for the next phase of the struggles.

    “We pass a vote of no confidence on both Ministers of Labour and Education; We call for the proper funding of the educational sector as against what has been attainable in the past seven years; We Call on the Buhari government to pay all outstanding arrears and salaries of the lecturers. The policy of “No Work No Pay” is a fascist one, it’s therefore, condemnable and nonacceptable to all the millions of students in Nigeria.”

    The students vowed to mobilise towards shutting down the Presidential Villa if their demands are not met.

    Recall that the industrial action embarked upon by ASUU started on the 14th of February 2022 and still continues with no end in sight.

  • Accident claims three lives on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    Accident claims three lives on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    A crash on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has left three persons dead while four other commuters sustained injuries when a Toyota Matrix collided with a truck.

    The accident was said to have happened at 5:50 pm around the Oniworo axis of Ogun state on  Sunday.

    It was gathered that the Toyota Matrix marked WWD621AE had suffered a tyre burst and rammed into the Howo Sino truck.

    Florence Okpe who is the spokesperson for Ogun state Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed the accident to pressmen in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    Okpe said, “Nine persons were involved in the crash, three died while four others sustained injuries.

    “The suspected causes of the crash were tyre burst and speeding on the part of the Toyota Matrix driver, who lost control of the wheels after a tyre burst and rammed on the truck.

    “The injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital Ogere for medical attention, while the corpses were deposited at the FOS Morgue in Isara.”

    She, however, said the Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state, Ahmed Umar, sympathized with the family of the crash victims.

    Okoe advised motorists to always obey traffic rules and ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before hitting the roads.

     

  • We will apprehend Lagos-Ibadan expressway robbers – Police

    We will apprehend Lagos-Ibadan expressway robbers – Police

    Armed Robbers on Wednesday robbed motorists and commuters heading to work of their hard-earned money and belongings on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    There were speculations that some persons were kidnapped on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Tuesday but were denied by Lagos state police command, however, a day after robbers went on a rampage.

    The hoodlums invaded the long bridge, causing motorists, traders, and residents to run for dear lives.

    The robbers were said to have dispossessed people of their phones, cash, and other valuables at gunpoint.

    Although the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered 24-hour surveillance of the highway, eyewitnesses said the hoodlums had a field day as there was no one to challenge them.

    “Around 5a5 amo 6 am, the armed robbers stormed the Warewa bridge, shooting. I left my bus and fled to hide. My passengers also fled. It was a very scary experience. There were no policemen to stop these thieves,” a commercial driver,” Joseph, said.

    A man who was on the long bridge but wouldn’t mention his name confirmed the presence of policemen a few minutes after the criminals had left.

    Police Spokesman in Ogun, Abimbola Oyeyemi, has confirmed the incident, saying the robbers had escaped by what he called a ‘slim chance’, stating, however, that they will be apprehended.

    “We are very sure they will all be apprehended within a short time,” he claimed.

    Oyeyemi enjoined residents to go about their daily activities without any fear, assuring that policemen are on the trail of the robbers, who he claimed, escaped through a bushy part.

    The construction work embarked upon by Julius Berger on the Berger end of the long bridge has caused traffic gridlock in the area since May when work started there.

    The residents of Mowe-Ibafo who ply the route daily have now appealed to the federal government to help fix the street light on the bridge