4 burnt to death on Ijebu Ode-Benin Expressway

Four people were burnt to death on Sunday in an accident involving a 14-seater commercial bus at Atoyo on the Ijebu Ode-Benin Expressway.

Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the spokesman of the Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta, said the accident occurred around 12.am, noting that it was caused by brake failure and disobedience on the part of the driver.

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He explained that, “A tanker loaded with black oil spilled its content on the road due to leakage and had to stop when the attention of the driver was drawn by other drivers.

“So when TRACE, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police got to the scene, they diverted and rerouted traffic so that inbound vehicles to Benin could join the outbound traffic section, because it was not safe for vehicles to drive on the black oil which had covered the length and breadth of the inbound section.”

According to him, the driver of the bus disobeyed the warning at the diversion point and drove on the black oil.

He said, “In the process, the driver experienced break failure, lost control and ran into the bush; hitting a tree in the process before the vehicle was engulfed in fire; burning four passengers to death out of the 14 on board the bus.” )