Tension gripped the Idimu area of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State, on Wednesday, May 1, 2025, after a mini commercial bus transporting a corpse to a burial site crashed due to brake failure. The incident, which occurred at around 10 a.m., left five people—three women and two men—with serious injuries.
The deceased was being conveyed from Ejigbo to Ikotun in a funeral convoy of three minibuses and a Toyota Space Bus when tragedy struck. According to witnesses, the bus carrying the corpse lost its braking function while descending toward the busy Idimu bus stop, causing the driver to ram into another vehicle in the convoy.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of horror and confusion as mourners and bystanders scrambled to rescue the injured and protect the coffin lodged in the wreckage. Some passengers were thrown off their seats due to the impact, while others remained trapped until passersby intervened.
One of the mourners, identified as Foluke, said, “It looked like a regular collision until we moved closer and saw the coffin inside one of the buses. People were screaming and bleeding. Some had fallen out of the bus.” She confirmed that both drivers were among those hurt.
The driver of the ill-fated minibus admitted the vehicle had earlier developed a fault during the trip from Ejigbo. After a brief roadside repair, they resumed the journey, only for the brakes to completely fail near Idimu. “I didn’t expect this. Everything happened so fast. I lost control before I could steer away,” he told reporters with visible remorse.
Rescue efforts by local residents were swift. Victims with fractured limbs were pulled from the bus seats, while others, dazed and wounded, sat on the roadside awaiting medical help. A food vendor nearby reported that at least three passengers suffered broken legs and were in visible agony.
While the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, the coffin was transferred to another vehicle to ensure the burial could proceed. Members of the convoy who had gone ahead to Council bus stop turned back after receiving a distress call, describing the crash as a devastating interruption to what was meant to be a solemn journey of farewell.
