A tanker fire on the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway at midnight killed an unconfirmed number of people.
According to Babatunde Akinbiyi, spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, the fire broke out at 1 a.m. on Friday.
According to Akinbiyi, a 33,000-liter petrol tanker collapsed due to excessive speed and spilled its contents over the roadway.
He revealed that the impact of the crash caused a fire, which spread to other vehicles and electric poles.
Akinbiyi said, “The case of an inferno caused by a 30,000-liter fuel-laden tanker, which fell on its side and spilled its contents around 0100 hrs today along the Abeokuta–Kobape–Siun–Sagamu Interchange stretch of the PMB Expressway due to excessive speed and loss of control, has been reported.
“The effect of the unfortunate incident also extended to the burning of a truck and a tow vehicle along the roadside, as well as the destruction of a PHCN cable supplying electricity to Mowe and environs.
“Though the casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue and emergency services made up of TRACE, Ogun State and Nestlé PLC Fire Service, FRSC, and the Police are still on the ground to restore normalcy and orderliness after quenching the fire and carrying out the decantation process.”
He further stated that because of the ongoing rescue efforts, traffic within the corridor has been reduced to a single lane.
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The spokesperson urged motorists in the area to cooperate with emergency responders.
“The general public, particularly the motoring public on transit along the route, is implored to be calm, patient, and cooperative with the diversion and re-routing of traffic put in place by TRACE, the police, the Ogun State Fire Service, the FRSC, Amotekun, and the NSCDC.
“However, any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident are highly regretted,” Akinbiyi concluded.
Tanker fires like this have occurred frequently in Nigeria, often with tragic effects.
In October 2024, a tanker fire on the Ibafo portion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway killed one person and destroyed numerous vehicles and commodities.
Similarly, in July 2025, a petrol tanker exploded in Ibadan due to brake failure, causing damage to surrounding automobiles, though injuries were not confirmed.
In the majority of these cases, reports indicated that the delayed emergency response contributed to increasing the damage and losses.
These reoccurring accidents illustrate systemic concerns in road safety, fuel transportation regulation, emergency response, and public behavior in the aftermath of fuel spills.
