A woman, identified as Aisha Maikudi Ibrahim, has died after her vehicle plunged into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.
The victim is a 27-year-old woman, family sources confirmed.
NATIONAL POST learnt that she was involved in an accident at the popular Bridge, leading to the car plunging into the Lagoon.
Mrs Ibrahim, who resided in Gbagada, was returning from an event in Ikoyi, where she worked as a vendor, when the accident occurred.
“She called her mother at about 1 a.m., assuring her she would be home in 20 minutes,” her aunt, Hadiza Oyewumi, told journalists in a telephone interview on Sunday.
“By 2 a.m., her line was unreachable. By 4 a.m., her mother grew anxious, and by 6 a.m., she and Aisha’s elder sister set out in search of her.”
According to Mrs Oyewumi, the family came upon emergency officials and onlookers near the bridge.
“We stopped and were told there had been an accident. The car’s bumper was visible, and when they checked the number plate, it was hers,” she explained.
The family suspects the car may have somersaulted due to speed, though the exact cause remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, the family expressed sadness with the response of rescue agencies.
“Officials from LASTMA and the marine police kept making calls but made no attempt to go into the water,” Mrs Oyewumi said.
She added that, “Her father eventually negotiated with local divers, who demanded N400,000 before they agreed to dive. Only after payment was her body recovered.”
Her remains were pulled out of the lagoon between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, almost 12 hours after the crash, and buried immediately in line with Islamic rites.
