Fuel Tanker Fires: Safety expert warns against scooping spilt petrol

The President of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, Timothy Iwuagwu, has warned Nigerians against scooping spilt fuel at accident scenes, saying a single spark could trigger a deadly explosion.

Mr Iwuagwu also blamed poor tanker design, inadequate inspections and weak enforcement of vehicle safety standards for many of Nigeria’s deadly fuel tanker accidents.

He spoke on Friday during an appearance on Arise News’ News Night, a day after a gas pipeline explosion in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.

On Thursday, PREMIUM TIMES also reported that a petrol tanker caught fire in Oluku, Benin City, Edo State, as residents scooped spilt fuel.

Keep away from spills

Mr Iwuagwu said people should stay away from fuel spills and ensure affected areas are cordoned off to keep people from approaching.

“Keep away, keep away,” he said, warning that people who rush to collect spilt petroleum products often underestimate the danger.

“Scooping the material that has spilt is the most foolhardy of all decisions,” he said.

He explained that fuel vapour could ignite when it comes into contact with an ignition source, even from a considerable distance.

“An explosion could occur from even an electrostatic source or a spark,” he said.

He added that fuel vapour could travel away from the leak point before igniting and triggering a fire at the source.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said 411 people died in 2024 while scooping fuel from crash sites, accounting for about 7.6 per cent of road deaths recorded that year.

A separate study covering January 2009 to October 2024 documented 169 tanker fire and explosion incidents that killed 1,613 people.

Poor tanker design

When he was asked about root causes of tanker accidents, Mr Iwuagwu pointed to the design and configuration of the vehicles.

He said tankers should be built to prevent leaks, even when they overturn.

“Not a drop of the liquid content is expected to leak out of that truck, by its very design and configuration,” he said.

He explained that tankers should have internal baffles to reduce liquid movement inside the tank, particularly when the vehicle travels on uneven roads.

He also identified suspension systems, steering mechanisms and tyre pressure as important safety considerations, warning that uneven tyre pressure could destabilise a loaded tanker.

Inadequate inspections

Mr Iwuagwu said many tankers are imported and cleared through the country’s ports without adequate scrutiny of their safety features.

He said safety professionals were rarely involved in the inspection process and called for imported tankers to be thoroughly examined and certified before they are released for use.

“We hardly have the presence of safety professionals in such places,” he said.

He also criticised some companies for resisting safety inspections.

“A lot of companies are even reluctant to allow safety professionals to look into some of these conveyances,” he said.

He said Nigeria had failed to adequately address the problem of tankers with different designs and configurations entering the country and being deployed on its roads.

Mr Iwuagwu also faulted road safety and vehicle inspection officers, saying they often focus more on vehicle documents than on the mechanical condition of the vehicles.

He recalled an encounter with a loaded truck near Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, where he noticed that the wheel nuts were loose.

“The wheel nuts were all slack and falling off,” he said, adding that he overtook the truck and forced the driver to stop.

Rail transport as an alternative

Mr Iwuagwu called for greater use of rail transport to move petroleum products, arguing it would reduce the risks of transporting highly flammable materials on roads.

“The best way to move these things is by rail,” he said.

He also identified pipelines as an option but stressed that they must be properly maintained to prevent leaks and explosions.

He said transporting petroleum products by rail would help keep them away from road users and communities exposed to tanker accidents.

Aleto pipeline explosion

Residents of Aleto have called for the replacement of the gas pipeline involved in Thursday’s explosion, rather than repairs limited to the ruptured section.

They alleged that the pipeline had been leaking for about three weeks before the explosion.

In a report by Arise News, the president of the Aleto Community Youths, whose name was not provided, said no representative of the pipeline operator had arrived at the scene by midday on Friday.

“They need to do a proper rehabilitation,” he said. “Remove all the pipes and replace them with another one, not to endanger our lives here.”

Another resident said the community had notified the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) about the leak, but that no substantial action had been taken.

“They informed NNPC; they came and put caution tape. For over three weeks now, they did nothing,” the resident said.

A safety engineer also urged NNPC to inspect its pipelines, noting that many had been laid decades ago.

“Most of these pipelines were laid 30-40 years ago,” the engineer said.

NNPC Limited confirmed the incident on Friday, saying the affected pipeline belonged to its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited.

READ ALSO: Sokoto disburses N143 million to victims of fire incidents

The company said it had isolated the affected section and activated its emergency response procedures. It added that investigations were underway to establish the cause and full extent of the incident.

Reports said at least 20 people were injured and more than 50 houses were destroyed in the explosion. No deaths had been independently confirmed in the reports available at the time.

A team from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) was also at the scene and promised a joint investigation.

In Edo State, casualty figures following the Oluku tanker fire remain unclear. The police confirmed that eight people sustained burn injuries, while other reports said four people were feared dead.