Abandoned truck, piling rig raise safety fears on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway - Punch Newspapers
The abandoned piling rig. Photo: Johnson Idowu
Motorists and residents have raised safety concerns over a faulty truck and an abandoned piling rig obstructing sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, warning that the heavy-duty vehicles could trigger crashes if not removed. The vehicles, reportedly abandoned around Gideon Bus Stop and the Kara-Ibafo section of the expressway, have become a source of concern for road users, particularly at night. A PUNCH Metro correspondent who monitored the areas on Saturday observed that a heavy-duty hydraulic piling rig had slipped off its lowbed trailer and tilted towards a roadside ditch, with its mast extending towards the road. Only a safety cone was placed near the flatbed trailer to alert motorists to the obstruction. Similarly, at Kara-Ibafo, a truck involved in a crash that claimed no fewer than seven lives on August 24 was still seen abandoned by the roadside. A resident of the area said the lowbed truck conveying the piling rig developed a fault, causing the rig to fall off the trailer. Some motorists who spoke to PUNCH Metro separately expressed concern that the abandoned vehicles could obstruct traffic and force unsuspecting drivers to make sudden manoeuvres. One of them, Adewale, said, “When you are approaching the area, you have to be very careful because you may not notice the vehicles early enough, especially at night. “An articulated vehicle or piling rig parked close to the road without adequate warning signs can easily cause an accident. The authorities need to remove them before something serious happens.” Another motorist, Kunle Bankole, said the situation posed an even greater danger to drivers unfamiliar with the section of the expressway. He said, “If a driver is speeding or distracted, he may suddenly meet the obstruction and lose control. There should be proper warning signs around the vehicles until they are removed.” Morning recap: INEC unveils list of Senate race, banks shut 476 branches in three years, other top stories The long road home: How 30-minute journey became midnight ordeal Amosun mourns ex-PDP national chairman Bamanga Tukur A resident, Tunde, said the vehicles had remained at the locations for about three weeks. He said, “We see heavy-duty vehicles parked around here regularly. The problem is that when they break down, they sometimes remain there for days. “We are worried because this is a busy expressway. Something should be done before an accident happens. “It is not enough to leave a warning sign. If the vehicle is faulty and cannot be moved, the appropriate agency should arrange for it to be removed to a safer location.” When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, did not answer his calls nor had yet to respond to enquiries sent to him as of the time of filing this report. The concerns come amid a history of fatal crashes involving heavy-duty and stationary vehicles on the expressway. On August 24, PUNCH Metro reported that seven persons were killed and two others injured in a multiple crash involving three vehicles around Kara-Ibafo on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Sector Command, said the crash occurred at about 12:03am and involved a white HOWO CNG/CIMC ENRIC truck, a white MACK trailer and a Mitsubishi Canter with registration number JJJ920YA. Similarly, in December 2025, former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, narrowly escaped death after the vehicle conveying him collided with a stationary truck along the expressway. The FRSC attributed the crash, which claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s friends, to excessive speed and wrongful overtaking. Johnson Idowu Johnson Idowu is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over four years of experience covering politics, education, metro, and environment. He specializes in producing insightful and well-researched reports that inform and engage readers. Johnson’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a dedication to accurate, audience-focused journalism.
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