Tragedy on Mabushi Bridge: How a Family’s Routine Trip Ended in Horror

By: Abudu Olalekan

Tragedy on Mabushi Bridge take over what was supposed to be just another drive through Abuja. Just another Wednesday. But sometimes, life doesn’t give you a warning sign.

A family of three; father, mother and child left home but never returned, and are not with us anymore.

It happened on the Mabushi Bridge. That stretch of road that most Abuja people know too well. Always busy. Always slow. And lately, always dangerous.

Eyewitnesses say it started small. A car stopped. Not for long. Just long enough to pick up a relative. But in that moment, they caught the attention of some louts hanging around the area.

You know how it is. Rules that aren’t really rules. Fines that aren’t fines. Just money someone decides you owe them because they say so.

The driver didn’t pay. Big mistake.

What happened next? Well, things escalated fast. The louts didn’t just argue—they jumped into the car. Grabbed the steering wheel. Pulled. Shouted. Chaos.

And then—the crash.

The vehicle veered off the road. Hit a painted taxi. Flipped. Landed in a ditch.

Dead on impact.

Just like that. A family gone.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Angry bystanders saw what happened. They’d had enough. Years of watching people get hassled, threatened, even beaten for no reason—this was the last straw.

They chased the louts down.

One didn’t make it out alive.

The other two? Badly hurt. Lucky to survive. Police rushed them to the hospital. Whether they’ll face charges? That’s another story.

Now, here’s where it gets a bit confusing.

Some say it was just the family and the louts. Others claim five people were in the car when it crashed—two from the family, three louts who forced their way in while the car was moving. witness sat something else. Details blur in moments like these.

What’s clear is the aftermath. Smoke. Flames. Screams. And eventually, silence.

The wreckage was cleared by officers from the Mabushi Police Division. No official statement yet from the FCT Police Command. Reporters are still waiting for a word from SP Josephine Adeh. But in the meantime, people are talking.

And they’re angry.

This is not the first time for this kind of incident. And if nothing changes, it probably won’t be the last.

Let’s be real—Mabushi has always been a hotspot for this kind of nonsense. It’s a major route. Connects the Central Business District to Jabi and Wuse. Always packed. Always a target for touts and louts who think they own the road.

They stop cars. Demand money. Threaten drivers. And when someone fights back? Things get ugly.

Authorities have tried to crack down. Back in July 2024, the FCT Administration and the Directorate of Road Traffic Services announced a new operation. Promised to arrest these guys. To prosecute them. To make the roads safer.

But let’s be honest—it’s not working. Not yet.

In 2023 alone, over 5,000 people died in road accidents across Nigeria. That’s a 21% drop from the year before, sure. Sounds good on paper. But 5,000 deaths? Come on. That’s still way too many.

And that’s just the recorded numbers. Who knows how many more go unreported?

So what now?

Well, people are scared. Drivers are angry. And somewhere, a family is mourning.

Because when it comes to road safety in Nigeria, we’re still stuck in the slow lane. And every now and then, someone pays the ultimate price just for trying to get from point A to point B.

This one hurts. Not just because of how it happened—but because it could’ve been any of us.

Let’s hope it wakes someone up. Before the next headline.