Tanker crash spills 33,000 litres of groundnut oil in Lagos, LASTMA warns against consumption

A tanker carrying 33,000 litres of groundnut oil overturned near Abiola Garden on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Lagos on Wednesday, spilling oil onto the road and causing traffic disruption as residents gathered to scoop it.

The crash occurred around Ojota Bridge on the inward lane towards the Old Toll Gate, obstructing traffic on the busy road.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned residents, traders and food vendors against consuming or selling the recovered oil, saying dirt, road pollutants and substances from drainage channels may have contaminated it.

In a statement posted on X, the agency said preliminary security reports suggested that brake failure might have caused the tanker to overturn.

LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki stated that he was concerned that people were collecting the spilt oil from the road and drainage channels without knowing whether it was safe for consumption.

He urged residents not to take the oil home for cooking or sell it to unsuspecting buyers, warning that possible contamination posed a risk to public health.

LASTMA said it deployed its rescue and recovery team and two heavy-duty tow vehicles to remove the tanker and clear the road. The police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency also responded.

No casualties had been reported in the tanker incident at the time of filing this report.

Motorists were advised to use alternative routes while the recovery operation was underway.

Another truck crash injures five

The incident came a day after a separate truck crash at Berger Bus Stop, inward Kara Bridge, in the Ojodu area of Lagos, left five people seriously injured.

READ ALSO: LASTMA impounds 84 vehicles in Lagos traffic crackdown

According to LASTMA, the accident on Tuesday involved a 40-foot HOWO truck and two commercial buses—a Mazda bus travelling between states and a Toyota Hiace bus.

The agency said the truck, which was travelling out of Lagos, rammed into the buses, injuring several passengers.

LASTMA officials rescued five of the injured passengers: three women and two men, including one of the drivers. They were taken to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate, accompanied by LASTMA officials.

Police officers from Isheri provided security at the scene, while LASTMA removed the vehicles to prevent further accidents and ease the resulting traffic congestion. The agency said the traffic backlog stretched as far as Otedola Bridge.

The vehicles were later handed over to the police for investigation.

Mr Bakare-Oki expressed sympathy with those injured in the crash and urged motorists, particularly drivers of heavy-duty vehicles, to maintain their vehicles and obey road safety rules.