Little Baby And 14 Others Affected As Bus Crashes Into Canal

At least 15 passengers, among them infants, were injured yesterday when the bus, a Nissan Trade with registration Lagos EPE 782 XP, in which they were travelling crashed, NewTelegraph reports.

The bus, which took off from Gas Line on the Orudu-Adiyan Road in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, was going to Agbado-Oja within the same local government.

The commercial bus, which witnesses claimed had a brake failure, crashed into a big canal which flows into a river called Odo-Adiyan at Four Square Bus Stop, Adiyan. Witnesses said a two-year-old baby was among those who sustained serious injuries in the accident.

Some of the drivers plying the route identified the driver of the crashed bus as Abbey. According to them, the bus has been having a series of mechanical faults in recent times but Abbey has “been managing it”.

A commercial motorcyclist, who gave his name as Segun, claimed the propeller of the bus suddenly pulled out a few metres before it crashed.

He said: “When the bus got to Transformer Bus Stop the propeller pulled out. The driver stopped briefly and the conductor came down to check it. But the driver said he could still manage to drive the bus to Agbado. “But before the bus reached the slope at Four Square Bus Stop it lost its brake. There were about four fully loaded Keke NAPEP (tricycles) in front of the bus, while trying not to crush the tricycles, the driver swerved and landed inside the canal.”

Segun said several passengers, the driver and the conductor were seriously injured. He added: “It was only about three people who were not injured. A baby of about two years old was badly injured. The baby had deep cuts all over its face and arms.”

The bus conductor, who is an elderly man, was unable to jump down as the bus was heading for the canal. He too had a broken arm. “There was also a woman whose right leg was broken in three places. Several others sustained life-threatening injuries.”

A driver, who also drives a Nissan Trade, described Abbey as a gentleman.

“He (Abbey) doesn’t drive rough. Nobody can explain how the accident occurred,” the driver, who refused to give his name, said. The man added that he discovered a brake pad about 500 metres to the scene of the accident.

He said: “I saw the brake pad at Ade Ishara Bus Stop. I stopped and asked my conductor to pick it up. I didn’t know whose vehicle it pulled out from. But when I got to the scene of the accident I started to think it belongs to Abbey’s vehicle. I strongly believe it belongs to the vehicle. May be he did not know when the brake pad pulled out of his vehicle. It must have contributed to the accident.”

Witnesses said the injured were rushed to different hospitals in Agbado and elsewhere.