Dotun Oladipo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Premium Eagle Media Limited, publishers of Eagle Online, has shared the tragic story of how his mechanic lost his life while attempting to save vehicles during the recent fire outbreak under the Otedola Bridge in Lagos.
On Tuesday, a tanker carrying inflammable gas overturned beneath the bridge, triggering a massive explosion.
The resulting fire engulfed nearby structures, including a church, a residential building, and a mechanic workshop. At least two people lost their lives, while six others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Among the deceased was Rotimi Olaleye, an automobile mechanic who worked at one of the repair shops in the area. Olaleye had been Oladipo’s trusted mechanic, and they had scheduled a meeting at the workshop just before the tragic incident.
•Dotun Oladipo, publisher of Eagle Online
A Narrow Escape
Oladipo revealed that he, his wife, and their daughter narrowly avoided the explosion. The journalist recounted how he had planned to pick up his wife’s car from Olaleye’s workshop that evening.
On their way to the mechanic village, the family stopped at a supermarket to buy drinking water, a delay of about 10 to 15 minutes. That brief pause, he later realized, was a stroke of luck.
“People would later describe that short detour as my good fortune because it delayed our arrival at the mechanic village just in time to see a trailer from CMD Road, seemingly out of control,” Oladipo said.
Sensing danger, he immediately turned away from the workshop.
A Mechanic’s Ultimate Sacrifice
While Oladipo and his family managed to escape, Olaleye stayed behind, determined to save his customers’ vehicles.
“I kept calling the mechanic to warn him to abandon the cars and run, but he never picked up. Just then, we heard the explosion. After that, his phone never rang again,” Oladipo recounted.
His apprentices later confirmed that Olaleye had urged them to flee for safety, but he insisted on staying back to protect the vehicles in his care.
•The late mechanic, Mr. Rotimi Olaleye
Otedola Bridge: A Recurring Tragedy
The Otedola Bridge has witnessed several fatal accidents over the years. In 2023, a wheat-laden truck overturned on the bridge, killing one person.
In 2021, a 40-foot container fell off a truck, crushing a victim, while a tanker explosion that same year led to the destruction of multiple vehicles.
Olaleye’s death adds to the grim history of the notorious bridge, highlighting the dangers that persist in the area.
