The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned residents against consuming or selling potentially contaminated groundnut oil spilled after a 33,000-litre tanker overturned at Ojota Bridge, near Abiola Garden, inward Old Toll Gate, Lagos....
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned residents against consuming or selling potentially contaminated groundnut oil spilled after a 33,000-litre tanker overturned at Ojota Bridge, near Abiola Garden, inward Old Toll Gate, Lagos.
The accident caused a complete obstruction of the affected carriageway and disrupted traffic along the busy corridor.
In a statement, LASTMA said preliminary security reports suggested that suspected brake failure caused the accident.
The agency immediately deployed its Rescue and Recovery Team, supported by two high-capacity tow vehicles, to evacuate the overturned tanker and restore traffic flow.
Traffic officers were also deployed to manage vehicular movement and implement diversionary measures to reduce congestion.
However, LASTMA expressed concern over reports that some members of the public were scooping spilled groundnut oil from the road, drainage channels and other exposed surfaces.
The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, warned that the recovered oil could have been contaminated by road debris, environmental pollutants, drainage effluents and other potentially hazardous substances.
He urged residents, traders, food vendors and other members of the public to refrain from consuming or commercially distributing the spilled oil.
Bakare-Oki stressed that salvaging spilled commodities should never take precedence over public health, warning that consuming contaminated edible oil could expose unsuspecting individuals to avoidable health complications.
Other agencies involved in the response included the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency.
LASTMA said the coordinated intervention supported rescue and recovery efforts, traffic management and measures to address the immediate consequences of the accident.
The statement was signed by Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at LASTMA.