The Ogun State Government has clashed with Nollywood actor Kunle Afod over the emergency response to a fatal road accident along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, insisting that an ambulance and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials arrived 10 minutes after the incident was reported.
The government’s response followed a viral video in which Afod raised the alarm over the alleged absence of emergency responders at the scene of the crash around Saapade, Ogun State, on Friday.
The accident involved a Mazda bus conveying 18 passengers, which reportedly suffered a tyre burst, lost control, overturned and hit a concrete barrier along the Lagos-bound section of the expressway.
According to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), 13 passengers, comprising two men, eight women and three children, sustained injuries.
The injured victims were initially evacuated to three hospitals for treatment, with one taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, nine to Divine Hospital, Ogere, and three to Isara General Hospital.
However, the accident claimed its first life on Saturday when the passenger who was taken to OOUTH in critical condition died while receiving treatment.
TRACE confirmed the death following a post-accident visit to the hospital, although the identity, age and sex of the deceased were not disclosed.
The incident attracted public attention after Afod, who encountered the accident scene, shared a video on Instagram appealing to the Ogun State Government, FRSC and other emergency agencies to rescue the victims.
In the video, the actor expressed frustration that he had spent about 20 minutes at the scene without seeing an ambulance or emergency response team.
He also claimed that attempts to contact emergency workers had not yielded any assistance, while other motorists were allegedly reluctant to stop and help the injured passengers.
Afod consequently called on the authorities to urgently provide assistance, warning that lives were at risk.
However, the Ogun State Government, in a statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, disputed his account.
The government said a passerby reported the accident at the FRSC point in Ogere, where a state-owned ambulance was stationed, at 12:18pm.
It added that the ambulance and FRSC personnel arrived at the scene at 12:28pm, explaining that the emergency responders had to navigate the expressway and turn to the opposite carriageway to reach the accident location.
The government also disclosed that six ambulance points were located between OPIC and Ogunmakin along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
It, however, noted that its emergency call centre did not receive any distress call from the axis concerning the accident.
The Nigeria Police and TRACE also participated in the rescue operation, according to the government.
It said the victims were taken to Victory Hospital, Ogere, while those with more serious injuries were conveyed by the state ambulance to OOUTH, Sagamu.
The government commiserated with the families of those affected and wished the injured victims a speedy recovery.
It, however, accused Afod of politicising the tragedy, alleging that the actor was a supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu.
Akinmade claimed that Afod had produced a campaign video for Adebutu days before the accident and suggested that his latest video was intended to portray the Abiodun administration negatively.
The government maintained that although the actor was entitled to support any political candidate, he should not allow partisan considerations to influence his comments on an incident involving injured people and their families.
It described Afod’s allegations as false and accused him of attempting to discredit the state’s emergency response system.
Meanwhile, the accident has also raised questions about the different response timelines contained in accounts of the rescue operation.
While the government put the arrival of its ambulance and FRSC personnel at 12:28pm, TRACE’s initial accident report stated that its rescue team reached the scene by 12:48pm.
The two accounts do not establish that the same personnel or vehicles were being timed, but the difference is an important detail in the controversy.
The government also urged motorists to observe traffic regulations, avoid excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, and ensure their vehicles were roadworthy.
It advised residents to report emergencies through its dedicated emergency line, 08112000033.
Akinmade further clarified that the state was not currently operating the national emergency number 112, explaining that the Nigerian Communications Commission had yet to make the service functional in Ogun despite efforts to activate it.
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