The Ogun State Government has rejected a viral account by Nollywood actor Kunle Afod that suggested accident victims were left unattended for about 20 minutes after a crash near Saapade on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway on Friday, November 6. In a detailed rebuttal on Saturday, officials said the first alert reached authorities at 12:18 p.m., and that an ambulance team operating with Federal Road Safety Corps officers got to the scene at 12:28 p.m., a 10‑minute interval that contradicts the actor’s claim.
The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, framed the dispute as a matter of fact, not sentiment. “Contrary to the wild, patently false claims by Mr Kunle Afod intended to incite violence against the Ogun State Government, the Ogun State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System responded swiftly to the accident in question,” Akinmade said in a statement, adding that responders had to navigate and cross to the opposite carriageway before reaching the Saapade spot.
The government said six ambulance points are currently positioned between OPIC and Ogunmakin along the expressway corridor. It added that the state emergency call centre did not receive a distress call from Saapade during the incident and reminded residents to use its dedicated line, 08112000033, for emergencies while national code 112 remains inactive in the state pending activation by the Nigerian Communications Commission. Officials said victims were stabilised at a private facility in Ogere before those with more serious injuries were transferred by state ambulance to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu.
Afod’s video, posted on social media after he happened upon the crash scene, had drawn public sympathy and anger, amplifying long‑running concerns about highway rescue logistics. The government’s counter‑narrative now places the spotlight on verifiable timelines and on-the-ground coordination by FRSC and the state ambulance service. A separate update from Punch newspapers also tracked official briefings by traffic authorities following the incident.
Civil society has waded in. Ogun Crime Watch urged the police to invite the actor to clarify his claims, citing the government’s timeline that puts responder arrival at 12:28 p.m. and alleging that Afod posted his video around 12:29 p.m., a minute later. While that call raises the temperature of the conversation, it underscores a wider anxiety about trust in public communications during crises. For motorists and first responders, the practical message remains the same: drive responsibly, keep emergency numbers handy, and report incidents promptly as authorities continue post‑crash reviews on the Saapade corridor.
0 Comments