ABEOKUTA: A midnight petrol tanker explosion along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway has left an unconfirmed number of people feared dead and caused extensive damage to vehicles, infrastructure, and power lines.
The incident, which occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, involved a 33,000-litre fuel-laden tanker that overturned after reportedly speeding, spilling its contents across the highway and sparking a massive blaze.
Spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed that the fire engulfed other vehicles, including a truck and a tow vehicle, while also destroying a PHCN cable supplying electricity to Mowe and nearby communities.
Emergency responders including TRACE, the Ogun State and Nestlé Fire Services, FRSC, the Police, Amotekun Corps, and the NSCDC battled through the night to extinguish the flames and divert traffic.
Though the casualty figures cannot yet be ascertained, rescue and emergency services are on ground to restore normalcy after quenching the fire and carrying out the decantation process, Akinbiyi said.
Traffic flow in the corridor has since been restricted to a single lane as emergency workers clear the wreckage and secure the area. Motorists were urged to remain calm, cooperate with responders, and obey diversion orders.
Tanker explosions are a recurring tragedy in Nigeria. In July 2025, a fuel tanker crash in Ibadan led to another deadly blaze, while a similar incident along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in October 2024 claimed at least one life and destroyed multiple vehicles.
The repeated incidents have drawn renewed attention to poor road safety standards, lax regulation of fuel transport, and the dangers posed by delayed emergency responses.
