Panic and chaos engulfed Abuja’s Maitama district on Sunday afternoon after a speeding car carrying four occupants lost control and flew into Millennium Park, bursting into flames moments after impact.
Around 4 p.m., the car, which was allegedly going at full speed, went off the road, flipped multiple times, and landed inside the well-known recreation park before catching fire, according to witnesses.
Numerous footage of the horrifying sight, which showed onlookers screaming and fleeing as the car caught fire, went viral on social media.
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In one of the films, which was posted on X, people can be seen desperately trying to rescue the victims from the flaming wreckage while no emergency personnel are in sight. The air was heavy with smoke, and witnesses could be heard sobbing and calling for assistance.
A bystander who identified himself as Musa said, “People wanted to help, but they didn’t know what to do. Some were pouring sand and water, others were dragging the doors. You could see the confusion and fear.”
Public indignation about the apparent lack of basic first aid and emergency response skills among individuals and officials has been triggered by the Abuja tragedy. In the widely shared video, viewers observed that a number of onlookers mistreated the victims by trying to move them without any training in trauma care or CPR, which would have made their injuries worse.
“The way people were touching and dragging the victims shows that many Nigerians have no first aid knowledge,” a social commentator who shared the video online said. “There was no ambulance, no emergency team, just ordinary people doing what they could.”
Rescue efforts apparently didn’t start until the flames had abated, and emergency personnel arrived late to the scene.
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The victims identities and circumstances are still unknown as of the time of publication. Abuja Authorities have not yet confirmed whether any fatalities were reported or issued an official statement regarding the crash’s cause.
The collision has rekindled discussions about careless driving, insufficient traffic safety regulations in Abuja and in general, and Nigeria’s limited emergency response infrastructure.
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