Three people have been killed and about 20 others injured in a road accident along the Ife-Ilesa Expressway in Osun State.
The crash, which occurred on Saturday around Tonkere, between Ile-Ife and Ilesa, involved a Toyota Hiace bus and a car that collided head-on.
The Osun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Sunday Adebayo, confirmed the casualties, according to the PUNCH.
According to him, the victims comprised two females and one male, while 20 other commuters sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Adebayo said the FRSC received information about the crash through a member of the public and arrived at the scene about five minutes later, with patrol teams mobilised from both Ilesa and Ile-Ife for the rescue operation.
He disclosed that the injured victims were evacuated to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, and the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife for treatment.
Some of the survivors who sustained minor injuries were subsequently discharged, he added.
The sector commander said the bodies of the three deceased victims had been deposited at the morgue of Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa.
He further disclosed that the two vehicles involved had been removed from the scene and taken to a nearby police station in Ile-Ife, while the road was cleared to allow traffic to continue.
Adebayo attributed the accident to excessive speeding and dangerous driving, warning motorists against behaviours that could result in avoidable crashes and loss of lives.
He said the condition of the road at the time of the incident did not justify the level of fatalities recorded, stressing that motorists needed to change their attitudes towards road use.
“Excessive speeding is killing. The accident happened due to over-speeding and dangerous driving,” the FRSC commander said.
He urged motorists to reduce their speed, noting that lower speeds could significantly reduce the severity of injuries and fatalities when crashes occur.
“If you go at a lower speed, if you have cause to be involved in a crash, the fatality will not be as much as what we saw this morning,” Adebayo said.
The Osun FRSC boss also called on motorists to respect other road users and recognise that everyone has an equal right to use the road safely.
He stressed that responsible driving remained essential to preventing avoidable deaths on the highways.
“They should have this shared responsibility that everybody has a right to use the road. The person who is safe on arrival is the person who knows how to drive,” he said.
