Speaking on safety measures during the yuletide, the FRSC Boss guaranteed that the deployment of personnel to various tank farms will be extensively enforced.
He also warned motorists to avoid violations including, speed limit, overloading, dangerous driving, and illegal use of spy number plate among other violations.
He added that there situation rooms across the country and over 25,000 personnel have been deployed to cover significant routes during the yuletide.
Tragedy occurred in the Otedola Bridge, Berger axis of Lagos State on Saturday following a tanker explosion.
Confirming the development, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the incident occurred around 2.00 am involving a tanker loaded with Premium Motor Spirit and a truck carrying other goods.
The Director-General of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyitolu, said both trucks were out-bound Lagos for delivery.
“The Agency promptly responded to a fire outbreak after several distress calls were received from the control room at the above-mentioned address at around 0200hrs,” Oke-Osanyitolu said.
“On arrival at the incident scene, it was discovered that a 40fit containerized Truck loaded with fabric had a brake failure while moving inward Berger.
“It then collided with a tanker loaded with 33000 litres of PMS. The impact of the collision resulted in fire outbreak.”
Channels Television learned that a stationary truck with registration number KBG91XA containing PMS which wasn’t involved in the collision was equally affected by the fire.
The scene of the tanker explosion on the Otedola Bridge, Berger axis of Lagos on October 17, 2020. Credit: LASEMA
However, there were no reported casualties.
Oke-Osanyitolu explained that a combination of responders have put out the fire, while the affected vehicles are being moved away with efforts to decongest traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Right now, the area has been cordoned off to prevent any further disaster as vehicles have been advised to make use of alternative routes.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has sent his condolences to the families of the tanker explosion victims calling for an end to rampant carnage on the roads.
Lawan in a statement by his Special Adviser, Ola Awoniyi expressed grief over the gruesome accident in which more than a score of people, including school children, were reported to have lost their lives or property.
“It is sad and totally unacceptable that such tragedy keeps recurring on our roads despite ample road safety regulations and enforcement personnel.
“While we mourn those who have so unfortunately lost their lives and pray for the speedy recovery of those who are injured, the incident underscores the need for constant review of our road safety strategy and mechanism with a view to making them more effective in preventing carnage on our roads.
“Significantly improving road safety in Nigeria is an urgent challenge for the relevant authorities and other stakeholders in our transport sector. We have to bring an end to the rampant carnage on our roads,” Lawan said.
The Senate President also extended his condolences to the government and people of Kogi State over the tragic incident.
A file photo of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
The Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Yahaya Bello has expressed shock over the unfortunate fatal tanker explosion which took place in the early hours of Wednesday, around the Felele area of the Lokoja metropolis.
Governor Bello in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed expressed sadness over the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, properties, and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire.
The governor condoled with the family of those affected by the ugly incident.
While describing it as an unfortunate development, the governor said “this is sadly the greatest tragedy the state has witnessed in recent times”.
The Governor also urged the students of Kogi State Polytechnic to remain calm and peaceful, stating that he equally shared in their grieving moment over the death of some of their colleagues in the disaster.
A petrol-laden tanker exploded in front of a Bauchi polytechnic on August 26, 2020.
A tanker load of petrol has exploded in front of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
Two people sustained severe injuries and are said to be receiving treatment at the emergency centre of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
An eyewitness, Bashir Yakubu, said the incident happened around 9 pm on Wednesday.
According to one account, the tanker was heading to Mararaba Liman Katagum along Dass road from Bauchi to offload its content when it hit a speed bump and lost control.
“I think it happened as a result of brake failure,” Yakubu said. “The tanker fell and split out its content but the driver escaped unhurt.
“The explosion did not happen immediately; it was some minutes later after the spilled content started a fire that the explosion happened.”
A spokesman for the Fire Service in Bauchi, Abubakar Bala, said his men moved to the scene as soon as they were informed about the incident.
He added that they succeeded in putting the fire under control and the destruction of lives and property was mitigated.
Firefighters at work on Sunday, June 21, 2020. Photos: Dare Idowu/Channels TV
Firefighters in Ogun and Lagos State have succeeded in putting out the inferno caused by an explosion which occurred in the early hours of Sunday.
The incident which occurred at the Kara end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at about 2:00 am, involved a petrol tanker, a gas truck and a cement transport truck and claimed several lives.
The traffic situation in Lagos State appears to have intensified over the last 24 hours following a tanker explosion.
The explosion involving a fuel tanker occurred on the Longbridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday evening.
Although there were no casualties, the incident resulted in gridlock as commuters were prevented from driving through until the fire was quenched and the remains of the vehicle were removed.
The gridlock spilled over into the early hours of Wednesday, causing hours of delay for commuters heading to various destinations.
This comes amidst the recent ban of tricycles (Keke) and motorcycles (Okada) by the Lagos State government which many say has worsened their plight in commuting to and fro their destinations.
In addition to the limited means of transportation available, the Lagos/Ibadan expressway has experienced intense levels of traffic as a result of the ongoing reconstruction of the road.
Officials, however, say that the reconstruction which has lasted nearly 2 months is set to be concluded by the end of the month.
Four persons have been confirmed killed and 34 others injured following a tanker explosion at Kutigi town in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in the state, Joel Dagwa, confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Tuesday.
According to him, the explosion happened after a tanker carrying substance suspected to be diesel, collided with a container loaded with bags of maize which was also carrying about 200 people, as well as another trailer loaded with bags of maize and other farm produce.
Dagwa also stated that a story-building and several other shops by the roadside were gutted by the fire.
He, however, noted that all those who sustained injuries are now receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Kutigi.
“The trucks were from the North heading towards Lagos, while the tanker was from Lagos heading towards the North,” he said.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday announced the closure of the Sagamu Interchange Bridge in the south-western part of the country.
A statement signed by the Public Education Officer of the (FRSC) Ogun State Sector Command, Florence Okpe, explained that the decision was a result of the twin tanker explosion that occurred under the bridge on Christmas Day.
Florence, a Route Commander, disclosed that experts from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing were invited to examine the bridge after the incident.
She noted that it was advised that the bridge be closed temporarily to avoid any preventable tragedy, as it was declared unfit without repair.
“Due to the damages done by the two petroleum tankers that crashed underneath the Sagamu Interchange Bridge in Sagamu, Ogun State, on Wednesday 25 December 2019, the FRSC invited Engineers of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to assess the continuous usage of the Bridge due to the intensity of the fire outbreak that damaged sections of the Bridge
“Based on their professional advice that the fire has destroyed the integrity of the bridge and may not be safe for motorisation till reinforced, the FRSC Ogun State Command is notifying members of the public to avoid the use of the bridge till it is reinforced,” the statement said.
Two tankers conveying petroleum products were said to have crashed into each other on the outward section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Both vehicles, thereafter, went up in flames due to the impact of the crash but no casualty was recorded.
In his reaction, the Sector Commander in Ogun, Clement Oladele, urged motorists to cooperate with the FRSC and the security agencies that would enforce the temporary closure of the bridge.
He, however, stressed that the enforcement exercise would only last until the bridge was repaired and reopened to motorists for use.
Oladele advised travellers approaching the Sagamu Interchange Bridge from the East via Ijebu-Ode to detour right at the back of the FRSC Emergency Roadside Clinic at Sagamu to connect the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway leading to Ogere.
“They can then make a U-turn before Ogere town and continue their journey to Lagos
“Vehicles coming from Abeokuta leading to the Eastern part of Nigeria via Ijebu Ode should avoid the Sagamu Interchange Bridge and turn right immediately after Nestle Company PLC to proceed to the Expressway leading to Lagos and they can then make a U-turn after Kara-Sagamu after the Julius Berger Yard, Sagamu to reconnect the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode-Ore-Benin Expressway,” the statement added.
Scene of the explosion of the petrol tanker in Felele, Lokoja, Kogi State capital. PHOTO: Sodiq Adelakun/Channels TV
Three people were killed on Monday morning following a petrol tanker explosion in the Felele area, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
An eyewitness told Channels Television that the accident occurred after the brake of the trailer failed and the driver lost control. The tanker then rammed into a motorcycle resulting in multiple accidents and eventual explosion of the fuel-laden tanker.
One person has been killed and 10 others injured in a tanker explosion that occurred in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
The State Emergency Management Agency who confirmed the incident said the explosion occurred around 10 pm at Dilko Junction, along the Abuja expressway.
According to SEMA, men of the state and federal fire service were deployed to the area to contain the fire but were not unable to until about 4:30 am.
Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli talks to medical staff and victims of the Morogoro petrol tanker explosion, at the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, on August 11, 2019. STRINGER / AFP
Tanzania on Sunday laid to rest most of the 71 people who died while trying to collect leaking petrol from an overturned fuel tanker that exploded.
The deadly blast, which took place Saturday near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.
President John Magufuli declared a period of mourning through Monday. He was represented at funerals by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
Majaliwa spoke at a ceremony in Kola, less than 20 minutes from where the disaster occurred some 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam.
He gave a new death toll of 71, along with 59 injured.
White coffins were lowered into graves by members of the security forces, after which Islamic or Christian clerics said brief prayers and tossed handfuls of earth on them.
A Pentecostal pastor named Mechak said in a service broadcast on television that “this should serve as a lesson to us. When there is an accident like this we should steer clear and let rescue workers do their job.”
DNA tests will be carried out on bodies that were burnt beyond recognition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jenista Mhagama said, adding that families could take the remains of their loved ones and organise their own burials if they preferred.
A woman who had accompanied her neighbour to retrieve the body of a victim at the hospital said: “When I saw the injured my whole body trembled. They had been burnt like pieces of meat.”
‘No one wanted to listen’
Witnesses said the truck tipped over as it tried to avoid a motorcycle, and locals quickly converged on the scene to collect fuel.
The explosion was triggered when a man tried to retrieve the truck’s battery, creating sparks that ignited the fuel, according to the region’s governor.
Footage from the scene showed the truck engulfed in smoke and flames, with charred bodies and the burnt-out remains of motorcycle taxis scattered on the ground among scorched trees.
A video posted on social media taken before the explosion showed dozens of people carrying yellow jerricans around the truck.
“We arrived at the scene with two neighbours just after the truck was overturned. While some good Samaritans were trying to get the driver and the other two people out of the truck, others were jostling each other, equipped with jerricans, to collect petrol,” teacher January Michael told AFP.
“At the same time, someone was trying to pull the battery out of the vehicle. We warned that the truck could explode at any moment but no one wanted to listen, so we went on our way, but we had barely turned on our heels when we heard the explosion.”
‘May God heal you’
President Magufuli on Sunday visited some of those injured in the blast at a hospital in Dar es Salaam.
“May God heal you,” he said to the 43 patients, some in very serious condition.
Majaliwa said Sunday that a special commission would investigate whether mismanagement had contributed to the disaster.
“While our now-dead compatriots were gathering to syphon fuel, did anyone try to stop them?” Majaliwa asked.
Magufuli has called for people to stop stealing fuel in such a way, a common event across Africa, saying he was “very shocked” by the dangerous practice.
Last month, 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people tried to take the fuel.
In May, a similar incident occurred in Niger near the airport of the capital Niamey, leaving almost 80 people dead.
Among the deadliest such disasters, 292 people lost their lives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2010, and in September 2015 at least 203 people died the South Sudan town of Maridi.
