Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) successfully rescued 17 passengers on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, after a compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered commercial bus burst into flames along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
​The incident occurred at approximately 2:15 PM around the OPIC Plaza axis, inward Berger, triggering heavy gridlock along the busy highway corridor as motorists scrambled to clear the area.
​According to eyewitness accounts and preliminary reports from emergency responders, the 18-seater commercial bus, painted in Lagos commercial yellow stripes, was in transit when passengers heard a loud bang suspected to be a gas leak from its CNG cylinder system, immediately followed by thick smoke and flames.
LASTMA personnel stationed near the Berger-Kara axis immediately mobilized to the scene, breaking through jammed doors and windows to evacuate all 17 occupants, comprising the driver and 16 passengers, before the fire engulfed the entire vehicle.
While three passengers sustained minor bruises and suffered from mild smoke inhalation during the evacuation, no lives were lost. The injured victims were treated at the scene by paramedics from the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS).
Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived shortly after to extinguish the inferno, while LASTMA officers cordoned off the affected lanes and diverted inbound traffic to prevent secondary collisions.
​Confirming the incident in an official statement issued on Wednesday evening, the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, commended the prompt action of the agency’s operatives and urged commercial transport operators to prioritize routine maintenance of CNG conversion kits.
​”Our operatives on routine patrol swiftly intervened immediately after the explosion occurred near OPIC Plaza at about 2:15 PM, successfully rescuing all 17 occupants without any loss of life,” Mr. Taofiq stated. “We strongly advise commercial drivers operating CNG-retrofitted vehicles to ensure regular certification and safety checks on their gas cylinders to prevent avoidable tragedies.”
​The charred remains of the bus were evacuated from the highway by LASTMA’s heavy-duty recovery unit by 4:30 PM, restoring normal vehicular movement along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
