Rivers in Ogun state has claimed about 50 lives.
In four years, rivers along major roads in Ogun State have ‘consumed’ no fewer than 50 travellers, findings by Daily Posts shows.
The affected travellers had their journey aborted inside the waters in Ogun State the moment their vehicles plunged into the various rivers.
Findings by the news medium confirmed that over 95 percent of such crashes occurred along the Lagos-Benin highway.
The Lagos-Benin highway is a route that spanned from Lagos down to Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ore, Benin down to Delta.
It is the road that links the commercial hub of Lagos with the South-South, the South-East and other parts of the nation.
The road, which has Ogun as its longest corridor, is always busy with vehicles of different capacities, moving inbound and outbound Lagos.
It was gathered that only a few of those trapped in the submerged vehicles were rescued, while the majority died before help could locate them under the water.
One of the victims of such crashes was a renowned Mass Communication Professor at the Lagos State University (LASU), Lai Oso, who died on June 24, 2023.
Oso died after his car plunged into a river along the Ijebu axis of Ogun State. The driver of Oso’s vehicle was said to have dozed off on the wheel and the vehicle skidded off the Sagamu-Ore highway to plunge into the water.
It was gathered that Oso, a Mass Communication lecturer in various institutions, was sitting in the front with the driver, while three other persons were at the back.
Oso and the deceased driver could not escape death because they had fastened their seat belts and it was difficult for them to free themselves and get out of the sport utility vehicle. They both died, while those at the back seat survived, it was learnt.
Motorists, who spoke with Daily Post, did not rule out the fact that there might be vehicles that had plunged into the water at night or at a time no one could be of help.
The last vehicle that plunged into the Omo river on September 3 in Ijebu East after that of Oso was witnessed by an individual, who raced to inform the Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogbere.
Responders immediately took necessary actions to rescue the occupants of the ill-fated Sienna bus.
Local divers began searching in earnest and one person was rescued alive.
However, seven dead bodies were recovered from the river within four days.
The Sienna bus, marked APP830HX, had fallen into the river from the bridge due to overspeeding.
The FRSC blamed the incident on reckless driving. Ogun FRSC Sector Commander, Anthony Uga, described the crash as an avoidable one if caution had been applied by the driver.
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