A tragic midnight tanker explosion has left many feared dead along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State.
The incident, which occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, involved a 33,000-litre fuel tanker that reportedly lost control due to excessive speed before tumbling onto its side.
According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE, the tanker’s collapse caused a massive spill of petrol, which quickly ignited, sparking a raging inferno.
“The case of an inferno caused by a 30,000-litre fuel-laden tanker which fell on its side and spilled its contents around 0100hrs today, along the Abeokuta–Kobape–Siun–Sagamu Interchange stretch of the PMB Expressway, due to excessive speed and loss of control, has been reported,” Akinbiyi explained.
The fire spread rapidly, engulfing other vehicles nearby, including a truck and a tow vehicle parked by the roadside.
The blaze also destroyed power installations, with electric poles and cables belonging to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria severely damaged. Electricity supply to Mowe and surrounding communities was disrupted as a result.
Although casualty figures were yet to be confirmed at press time, officials on the ground said multiple fatalities were likely. Emergency responders including TRACE, the Ogun State Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Police, Amotekun operatives, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps worked through the night to bring the fire under control.
Teams from Nestlé PLC’s Fire Service also joined in the effort to quench the flames, prevent further spread, and conduct decantation of remaining fuel.
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Traffic flow along the busy corridor was heavily disrupted, as rescue teams diverted vehicles to a single lane. Akinbiyi appealed for calm, urging motorists and commuters to cooperate with officials managing the situation.
“The general public, particularly the motoring public on transit along the route, is implored to be calm, patient, and cooperate with the diversion and re-routing of traffic put in place by TRACE, Police, Ogun State Fire Service, FRSC, Amotekun, and the NSCDC. However, any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident are highly regretted,” he said.
The Ogun explosion adds to the grim record of frequent tanker crashes across Nigeria, where poor road infrastructure, reckless driving, and inadequate regulation of fuel transport continue to endanger lives.
Similar disasters in recent years have claimed scores of lives, including a December 2022 incident in Oyo State and another in Lagos in 2018 that killed at least nine people on the Otedola Bridge.
As of Friday morning, authorities were still working to ascertain the exact number of casualties and restore normalcy to the corridor. Residents of affected communities, however, remained shaken by the scale of destruction and loss.
News Express
