Four people have lost their lives in a late-night crash along the Ijebu-Imushin axis of the Ijebu Ode–Ore Expressway in Ogun State, after a commercial bus rammed into a stationary truck reportedly left on the road while being towed.

The Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State said the crash involved a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BDJ 482 XC and a blue MAN Diesel truck belonging to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, marked RSH 969 XC.

According to the FRSC spokesperson in the state, Afolabi Odunsi-Oyewole, preliminary findings showed that the truck was in the process of being towed when the towing chain suddenly snapped. The truck was left immobile on the carriageway, without being safely removed or properly secured, when the oncoming bus, reportedly at high speed, crashed into its rear.

All four occupants of the bus, two men and two women, died on the spot. There were no survivors and no additional injuries recorded. Rescue teams from the FRSC were said to have arrived at the scene within eight minutes of receiving the distress call, but the victims had already been confirmed dead.

Odunsi-Oyewole added that the driver of the towing vehicle fled immediately after the collision, abandoning the truck at the scene. The remains of the victims were later evacuated and deposited at the State Hospital mortuary in Ijebu Ode.

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force from the Imushin Division have taken custody of the vehicles and opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the conduct of the towing crew and compliance with safety procedures.

Reacting to the crash, the Ogun State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Akinwunmi Fasakin, warned motorists against speeding, especially at night when visibility is reduced and stationary hazards are harder to detect. He also stressed the need for strict adherence to safety standards in towing operations, including the use of reliable towing equipment, proper lighting, and advance warning signs to alert approaching drivers.

Fasakin urged commercial and private drivers alike to treat speed limits as a life-saving rule rather than a mere guideline, noting that a combination of speeding and poor roadside safety practices continues to fuel avoidable tragedies on Nigerian highways.