Williams Kayode
A midnight blaze along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway has left many feared dead after a petrol-laden tanker overturned and exploded, engulfing vehicles, power lines, and part of the busy highway in flames.
The accident occurred around 1 a.m. on Friday when the 33,000-litre truck, reportedly speeding, lost control and fell on its side, spilling its contents across the Abeokuta–Kobape–Siun–Sagamu stretch of the PMB Expressway. The impact of the crash triggered a massive fire that spread rapidly, torching a truck, a tow vehicle, and electric cables supplying power to Mowe and its environs.
Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), confirmed the incident, describing the inferno as devastating. He explained that rescue teams from TRACE, the state fire service, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), police, and Nestlé PLC’s fire service rushed to the scene to battle the flames and contain the damage.
“Though the casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue and emergency services are still on the ground to restore normalcy and carry out the decantation process,” Akinbiyi said.
Traffic along the corridor has since been diverted to a single lane, causing significant gridlock, while authorities urged motorists to remain calm and cooperate with emergency responders. “Any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident are highly regretted,” Akinbiyi added.
The Ogun tragedy echoes a disturbing pattern. In October 2024, a tanker fire along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway near Ibafo claimed lives and destroyed vehicles. Just this July, another petrol tanker exploded in Ibadan after a brake failure, burning cars and shops. In many such cases, delayed response and lack of enforcement of safety regulations have worsened the human and economic toll.
Friday’s inferno is another reminder of Nigeria’s persistent road safety crisis, weak regulation of fuel transport, and the dangers of poor public response to fuel spills. As emergency teams cleared the charred highway, the questions remained familiar: how many lives were lost, and how long before the next tragedy strikes?