By Jide Francis
Society Page Editor
Lagos was thrown into mourning on Saturday, August 24, 2025, after a young woman, Aisha Maikudi Ibrahim, 27, tragically lost her life when her car somersaulted and plunged into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.
According to family accounts, Ms Ibrahim, a resident of Gbagada and an event vendor in Ikoyi, had left work late at night and was on her way home when disaster struck.
“She called her mother around 1 a.m. to say she would be home in 20 minutes,” her aunt, Hadiza Oyewumi, told Premium Times in a telephone interview. “By 2 a.m., her phone was unreachable. By 4 a.m., her mother grew anxious, and by 6 a.m., the family set out to search for her.”
The search ended in heartbreak. On approaching the Island, the family stumbled upon a rescue scene with emergency officials and bystanders gathered near the bridge. A partially visible car bumper in the water confirmed their worst fears: the vehicle belonged to Aisha.
Painful Delays in Rescue
While the accident itself was devastating, the family said the rescue response compounded their grief.
“Officials from LASTMA and the marine police kept saying they were making calls, but no one entered the lagoon,” Ms Oyewumi lamented. “It was her father who eventually negotiated with local divers. They demanded ₦400,000 before diving in. Only after payment did they bring out her body.”
Her remains were recovered between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. — nearly half a day after the crash — and buried immediately in line with Islamic rites.
Family Decries ‘Commercialisation of Human Lives’
In a statement issued on Sunday, the grieving aunt described the late Aisha as “a promising entrepreneur with high aspirations.” But beyond the loss, she criticised what she called the “commercialisation of human lives” in the failed rescue effort.
“The accident’s cause may never be fully clear, but what pains us deeply is how the response unfolded. LASTMA and marine police stood by, making calls, while it fell to local fishermen to act — only after demanding money. In our grief, we paid, not to bargain, but to recover her body for a proper burial,” she said.
She urged the Lagos State Government to equip emergency responders better and formally integrate trained divers into rescue operations. “Can a structure be created so that, in moments like this, money is not placed above humanity? The Centre of Excellence must not commercialise human lives. Preparedness and compassion can make all the difference.”
Official Confirmation
Confirming the incident, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the victim’s body was recovered lifeless from the lagoon during a rescue operation and handed over to the police and her family.
“It was a single accident involving a Toyota Camry with registration number LSR 384 BE, which plunged into the lagoon with the driver as the lone occupant,” Adeseye said.
A Promising Life Cut Short
Friends and relatives have described Aisha as hardworking, ambitious, and full of dreams. Her untimely death has sparked conversations about the state of rescue operations in Lagos, with many questioning why survival in such emergencies often depends on chance or costly private intervention.
As tributes pour in, her family continues to mourn — while also calling for reforms that could spare others similar pain in the future.
