Members of the Take-It-Back Movement (TIB) on Friday rescued victims of a road accident along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, an incident the group said exposed serious gaps in Nigeria’s emergency response system.

The accident occurred at Lufuwape, shortly after the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Camp, when a commercial bus carrying men and women of Hausa origin somersaulted after a tyre burst.

Eyewitnesses said several passengers sustained injuries, with some trapped inside the overturned vehicle while others were thrown onto the roadside.

In a statement signed by the Lagos State Coordinator of the movement, Comrade Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeeq, TIB said its members encountered the accident scene while returning from Kiribo and immediately stopped to assist.

“Today, we witnessed what could have turned into a mass tragedy,” the statement read. “A bus conveying Hausa men and women somersaulted at Lufuwape after a tyre burst. The sight was terrifying.”

According to the group, its members quickly sprang into action to rescue the victims without hesitation.

“Without thinking twice, we jumped out of our vehicle to rescue the victims,” the statement said.

Although no fatalities were recorded at the scene, the movement disclosed that about five to six passengers sustained severe, life-threatening injuries and required urgent medical attention.

TIB lamented that efforts to secure an immediate official response were initially unsuccessful. The group said it contacted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Redeem Police Division, who promised to deploy officers but failed to show up.

“We called the DPO of the Redeemed Division, hoping for an urgent response. He promised to come with his men. We waited, but he never showed up,” the statement noted.

The situation was eventually stabilised through the intervention of a medical professional within the group, Comrade Folayemi Akinfolarin, who contacted emergency services and coordinated the response.

“Emergency services were reached immediately, details were provided, and within minutes, an ambulance arrived to convey the injured to the hospital,” the statement said.

Beyond institutional failure, the movement also criticised public apathy at the scene.

“What broke my heart most was that while lives were hanging in the balance, many people stood around doing nothing except taking pictures,” Adeyemi Taofeeq said.

Reflecting on the incident, the group questioned what might have happened without civilian intervention.

“We keep asking ourselves: what if we weren’t there? What if this accident did not happen right before our eyes? What would have been the fate of those victims?” the statement read.

The movement said the incident underscored broader societal and institutional challenges.

“This experience exposes a painful truth—poor emergency response, institutional failure, and a growing culture of indifference. Lives are lost not always because help is unavailable, but because people and authorities fail to act when it matters most,” the group stated.

TIB called on relevant authorities to urgently strengthen emergency response systems along major highways, particularly the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, and urged citizens to show empathy and take action during emergencies.