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A 27-year-old woman, Aisha Maikudi Ibrahim, died on Saturday after her car reportedly somersaulted and fell into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.

Family sources told PREMIUM TIMES that Ms Ibrahim, who lived in Gbagada, was returning from an event in Ikoyi where she worked as a vendor when the crash occurred.

“She called her mother around 1 a.m. to say she would be home in 20 minutes,” her aunt, Hadiza Oyewumi, said in a telephone interview on Sunday.

“By 2 a.m., her phone was unreachable. By 4 a.m., her mother became worried, and by 6 a.m., her elder sister and mother set out to look for her.”

Ms Oyewumi explained that on their way to the Island, the family saw emergency officials and bystanders gathered near the bridge.

“When we stopped, we were told there had been an accident. The car’s bumper was visible, and when they checked the plate number, it matched hers,” Ms Oyewumi said.

The family believes the vehicle may have somersaulted at high speed, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.

What they found more painful, however, was the rescue response.

“Officials from LASTMA and the marine police kept saying they were making calls, but no one went into the lagoon,” Ms Oyewumi recounted.

“It was her father who eventually negotiated with local divers. They demanded N400,000 before diving in. Only after the payment did they retrieve her body.”

Her body was recovered between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday — nearly half a day after the accident — and buried immediately according to Islamic rites.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Ms Oyewumi described her late niece as “a promising entrepreneur with high aspirations”. Still, she lamented what she called the “commercialisation of human lives” in the failed rescue effort.

“The circumstances of the crash remain unclear, but what is more painful is the response that followed,” the statement read.

“LASTMA and marine police were at the scene, but there was no meaningful rescue. It fell to local fishermen, who demanded money before acting. In their grief, the family paid — not to bargain, but to recover her body for a proper burial.”

She urged the Lagos State Government to properly equip emergency responders and formally integrate trained divers into rescue operations.

“Can a structure be created so that, in moments like this, money is not placed above humanity?” she asked. “The Centre of Excellence must not commercialise human lives. Preparedness and compassion can make all the difference.”

LASTMA reacts
When contacted on Sunday evening, the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Taofeek Adebayo, said he was unaware of the incident but promised to investigate.

However, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed that Ms Ibrahim’s body was recovered lifeless from the lagoon during a rescue operation.

She explained that the body was subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police and the victim’s family.

“It was a single accident involving a Toyota Camry with registration number LSR 384 BE, which plunged into the lagoon with the driver as the lone occupant,” Ms Adeseye said.

Similar incident
Saturday’s crash was not the first time passengers have plunged into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.

In April 2024, an 18-seater bus swerved off the bridge at the Adeniyi Adele axis, inward Lagos Island, and hit the railings, according to Ibrahim Farinloye, Lagos Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/816305-27-year-old-woman-dies-after-car-falls-into-lagos-lagoon.html

Single accident?

It’s possible the deceased dosed off while driving.

Hmmm, may her soul RIP...


As I just saw the time she started coming back, I weak.

With all the stress running around to make the event worthwhile, she simply should have rested till the next morning...


Life sha, if only we know when our days are due....

kunlesufyan:
Single accident?

It’s possible the deceased dosed off while driving.

She could also have been hit by another speeding vehicle. It's very sad, though. May she RIP.

May God comfort her family. Learnt she was flunged to the water due to excessive speed. Our youth need to caution themselves.

Sleep driving is real especially with AC on with hot sun.

And that makes accident more fatal

May her soul rest in peace amen. Too many accidents on the bridge recently.

It is well

The accident carry car pass the barrier?.

Incredible

This is very sad. May her soul find peace and true rest.

You this corruption will reach every body in one way or the other, when it favours or didn't affect our love once we praise the perpetrator(s).

Maybe she's not used to driving in the night.

This is terrible

It's so sad 💔

Water dey collect people lives normally and I suspect her accident and loss of life is out of the ordinary.
May her soul rest peacefully 🙏

Cameras should be installed on that bridge so that in situations like this one can truly know what transpired

Sad to read how the body was retrieved. We see videos of fire fighters abroad rescuing cats and rats in drainages and her see how we loose life.

Can someone tell me one AID he or she gets from government in this country.

Like how government came through for you.

Speed Limit is 80km/hr on TMB. What then could have happened?

Nigeria is a sad place. Imagine divers negotiating to receive N400k before agreeing to retrieve someone's body after an accident.

Tufiakwa. Useless country.

She most probably slept off on the wheels

It's always better to drive drunk than to drive tired.

I will take a drunk driver over a tired driver any day.

mascot87:
Speed Limit is 80km/hr on TMB. What then could have happened?

She must have slept off on the wheels, that's what happens most times, she was at an event as a vendor, she must have not only stood throughout but had to be prepared a night before and get there early for setup, now she has to leave late after the after party, she must have been tired.
An energy drink and loud music would have saved her life.
Again we don't know if she was obeying the speed limit. At 1am the road is free and she could be way above the limit

patrickmuf:
I bet you, they were at the scene but refused to act fast waiting to get paid first. Human life should be worth more than anything.

They were at the scene at 2am in the morning on TMB one of the longest bridges in Africa waiting for an accident to happen?
Is that how you spend your nights?

cr7lomo:
U well so?? Both are same.... a drunk driver is even worse cos they think they are I control, when they definitely aren't

Don't be ignorant ask any professional or better still ask any Road Safety official you know. Most accidents at night are from tired drivers.

Reminds me of that video by
Billie Eilish - Everything I Wanted

Hedonisco:
Nigeria is a sad place. Imagine divers negotiating to receive N400k before agreeing to retrieve someone's body after an accident.

Tufiakwa. Useless country.

Why don't you go and dive for free.

Do you do your job for free?
Don't you get paid?
Do you know how risky their job is?

Kudos to the local divers who rose up to the occasion, without diving gear , or support from lastma,NEMA,FEMA, navy and still delivered.
400k well spent.
Condolence to her family.
Current administration has turned everyone to a hustling junkie, it's hustle till you drop .

Lagos state is rich enough to afford divers with night vision, working under and with that rescue agency. This inefficiency must stop.

Exousiang01:
Why don't you go and dive for free.

Do you do your job for free?
Don't you get paid?
Do you know how risky their job is?

He is referring to the government agency, stop talking nonsense, Lagos state should have divers under that rescue agency, otherwise it's nonsense.

Only God knows what happened to and the car. May her soul rest in peace.

Exousiang01:
She most probably slept off on the wheels

It's always better to drive drunk than to drive tired.

I will take a drunk driver over a tired driver any day.

U well so?? Both are same.... a drunk driver is even worse cos they think they are I control, when they definitely aren't

Hedonisco:
Nigeria is a sad place. Imagine divers negotiating to receive N400k before agreeing to retrieve someone's body after an accident.

Tufiakwa. Useless country.

I bet you, they were at the scene but refused to act fast waiting to get paid first. Human life should be worth more than anything.

dederocs:
He is referring to the government agency, stop talking nonsense, Lagos state should have divers under that rescue agency, otherwise it's nonsense.

Don't assume what he said.
My response is based on facts, the facts available is not what you are assuming.
Did he mention anything around what you are saying?
His focus was on the divers demanding huge amount of money.
Adults talk with available facts not assumptions.
Go and read his comments again.

[b][b]What they found more painful, however, was the rescue response.

“Officials from LASTMA and the marine police kept saying they were making calls, but no one went into the lagoon,” Ms Oyewumi recounted.

“It was her father who eventually negotiated with local divers. They demanded N400,000 before diving in. Only after the payment did they retrieve her body.”[/b][/b]Why can we try to be nice in this counry So they will be happy with that 400k now and if they act fast the lady may not be dead anyway RIP too her

Hedonisco:
Nigeria is a sad place. Imagine divers negotiating to receive N400k before agreeing to retrieve someone's body after an accident.

Tufiakwa. Useless country.

The Divers owe you nothing, neither to the family. Its the failure of government to equip the emergency services to perform their jobs that you should blame. Why are they called Marine police?

Very horrible death, chai I can imagine the feeling like she was in a dream

OK


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