A tragic accident occurred on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos, when a 27-year-old woman, Aisha Maikudi Ibrahim, lost her life after her car reportedly tumbled and plunged into the lagoon.
Aisha, who lived in Gbagada, was returning from an event in Ikoyi where she had gone to work as a vendor. Unfortunately, she never made it back home.
Speaking about the incident, her aunt, Mrs. Hadiza Oyewumi, said Aisha called her mother around 1 a.m., promising to be home within 20 minutes.
However, by 2 a.m. her phone became unreachable. By 4 a.m., her mother grew worried, and by 6 a.m. she and Aisha’s elder sister began searching for her.
The family eventually came across emergency workers and a crowd near the bridge. According to Mrs. Oyewumi, they were informed of an accident. They later identified Aisha’s car through its number plate, which confirmed their worst fears.
Although the family suspects the car may have somersaulted due to overspeeding, the actual cause of the crash remains unclear.
What worsened their pain was the slow response of rescue officials. Mrs. Oyewumi explained that both LASTMA officials and marine police at the scene were only making calls but did not attempt to go into the water to help.
Her father was left with no option but to plead with local divers, who requested N400,000 before agreeing to search. It was only after payment that her body was brought out of the lagoon between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday—almost 12 hours after the accident. She was laid to rest immediately in line with Islamic traditions.
In a statement released the following day, Mrs. Oyewumi described her niece as “an ambitious young entrepreneur” but criticized the way human lives are being treated.
She said the most painful part was not only Aisha’s death but the lack of urgent action from those meant to rescue her.
“Despite having LASTMA and marine police at the scene, nothing was done. Local divers, instead, turned the rescue into business by demanding money before helping. Out of grief, the family paid—not as a choice, but to recover her body for burial,” she added.
She also urged the Lagos State Government to improve emergency response systems by providing rescue teams with proper equipment and officially engaging skilled divers for such situations.
