Three people dead, 20 hurt in Osun road accident

Three people died in a road accident on Saturday along the Ife-Ilesa Expressway in Osun State. About 20 others suffered injuries in the crash.

Sunday Adebayo, the Osun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, confirmed the number of casualties during a phone chat with The PUNCH. He said the two vehicles involved crashed into each other head-on.

Adebayo mentioned that the FRSC team reached the crash site about five minutes after the incident happened in the Tonkere area. He pointed to speeding and reckless driving as the main reasons for the accident.

The Osun FRSC boss added that the two vehicles from the crash were moved to the nearest police station. The bodies of the deceased were taken to the morgue at Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa.

The 20 injured people were rushed to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife and Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Ife for treatment. Adebayo provided more details about the accident, saying, "Three people died. Altogether, we have about 20 others who were injured in the crash."

He continued, "The deceased were two females and one male. There were 11 females in that vehicle and nine males. Three children: two males and one female. All the other 20 had different levels of injuries."

Adebayo said, "It was a head-on collision involving a Toyota Hiace and a car. The incident happened around Tonkere between Ife and Ilesha. We sent our patrol vehicles from Ilesha and Ife for the rescue operation."

He added, "Some of the survivors had minor injuries and were treated and released. The vehicles have been taken to the police station in Ife, and the road is now clear for traffic. The FRSC response time was five minutes. Our team got there quickly after a member of the public alerted us."

Adebayo advised road users to avoid actions that can lead to accidents. He urged drivers not to engage in behaviors that could cause unnecessary loss of lives.

He noted, "If you look at the road structure when it happened, you can see there was no need for such a high number of fatalities. Nigerians must change how they drive. Speeding is dangerous. The accident happened because of over-speeding and reckless driving."

He added, "There was no need for this accident if drivers could change their ways. We will keep telling road users to adjust their speeding habits."

Adebayo emphasized, "If you drive at a lower speed, even if you are in an accident, the injuries won’t be as severe as what we saw today. Nigerians should respect other road users. Everyone has a right to the road. The person who arrives safely is the one who knows how to drive."