A tragic midnight accident involving a fuel-laden tanker has claimed an unconfirmed number of lives along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State.
According to the spokesperson of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, the accident occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Friday when a 33,000-litre petrol tanker overturned due to excessive speeding. The impact of the crash caused the tanker to spill its contents, which immediately ignited into a raging inferno.
Akinbiyi revealed that the fire spread quickly, engulfing nearby vehicles and damaging electricity poles along the stretch of the expressway. He explained, “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.”
Emergency agencies, including TRACE, Ogun State Fire Service, Nestlé PLC Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigeria Police Force, quickly mobilized to the scene. They managed to quench the fire and began rescue and evacuation efforts.
The blaze also destroyed a truck, a towing vehicle, and a Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) cable supplying electricity to Mowe and surrounding areas. Traffic has since been diverted to a single lane to allow emergency responders to continue their work.
okaynews.com reports that motorists have been urged to remain patient and cooperate with the diversions while rescue and recovery operations continue.
Akinbiyi further noted, “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 Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).”
Sadly, similar tanker explosions have repeatedly occurred across Nigeria. In October 2024, one person died when a tanker fire engulfed several vehicles on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. Likewise, in July 2025, Ibadan witnessed another tanker explosion caused by brake failure, leaving several cars damaged.
