Dear Sisi Dammie, A BRT Bus just Fell Off Third Mainland Bridge

Very early this morning, I got a bbm broadcast that a BRT bus fell off the bridge into the lagoon. I don't know what it was inside of me that told me the message was "archaic", a false report went viral saying a fully loaded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus that was conveying passengers across the Third Mainland Bridge had fallen off the bridge into the Lagos Lagoon.

On Twitter, Facebook, Radio Stations, News Websites and other social media platforms, the disturbing news spread like wild-fire, getting many people worried over the safety of the alleged passengers of the bus.



Most media sources based their news on a tweet by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), which confirmed the accident.

The FRSC tweeted this message earlier: "A fully loaded BRT bus fell off the 3rd mainland bridge into the Lagos lagoon, 26-11-12. Rescue work in progress. Motorists be cautious."



However, coming as a huge relief, the FRSC spokesman, Jonas Agwu has said the tweet about BRT falling off 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos is a "hoax". The tweet has been deleted from the their Twitter page and replaced with this:



The Lagos State Government has also debunked the story saying it was a rumour. On Traffic FM, the state government's dedicated traffic radio station, the news was also described as false.

While the news of the accident was still being circulated on Twitter, Jon Gambrell, the AP correspondent in Nigeria visited the scene and tweeted his findings.

It is hoped that the FRSC would give an explanation for the misleading tweet. However, we are glad that no such event happened in Nigeria today. What the media can cause.