Over Speeding Fuel Tanker Overturns, Catches Fire In Lagos

A petrol tanker went up in flames on Sunday around the Iyana-Isolo inward in Oshodi, Lagos State, after the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to overturn on the road.

Adebayo Taofiq, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) spokesperson, stated that when the tanker overturned and exploded, the blaze spread to at least four trucks parked nearby.

Taofiq noted that there were no casualties and attributed the accident to the tanker driver’s excessive speed.

“Preliminary intelligence has conclusively indicated that the disaster was precipitated by egregious over speeding, which occasioned the driver’s loss of control whilst negotiating the inward Oshodi corridor,” the statement reads.

“In an immediate display of coordinated emergency management, LASTMA operatives under the direct supervision of the Agency’s operational command swiftly galvanized allied responders.

“These included the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Aswani, Ilasa, and Mushin divisions, alongside vigilant personnel of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, all of whom collectively subdued the inferno and precluded its escalation into a greater tragedy.

“The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed that additional operatives from adjoining zones had been urgently mobilized to fortify the ongoing containment measures.

“He further affirmed, with relief, that no human casualty was recorded, largely owing to LASTMA’s prompt intervention in cordoning off the affected corridor and restricting vehicular movement from Ilasa inward Oshodi.”