Market Razed, Property Destroyed As Tanker Explodes In Edo

Property, including vehicles, food items, and other goods, estimated to be worth millions of naira, has been destroyed following a petrol tanker explosion along the Benin-Lagos Expressway at Oluku market.

Goods and vehicles parked along the road were completely razed by the inferno that engulfed Oluku market and its environs.

The explosion was triggered by a petrol-laden tanker that fell on the expressway, with fire spreading rapidly into the market.

Traders were seen wailing over their losses as their wares were consumed.

The Chairman of Ovia North East Local Government, Orobosa Eriamiatoe, and the Aiyobahan of Benin, Chief Osamede, visited the scene to assess the damage and sympathised with affected traders and residents, while sympathisers gathered around the remains of burnt vehicles and stalls.

No casualty figure has been confirmed as of the time of this report.

The incident came less than two weeks after two people were confirmed dead, and two others critically injured, when a tanker conveying diesel caught fire in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.

The Cross River explosion occurred in the early hours of the day near the Odukpani Local Government Secretariat, when the tanker reportedly collided with a stationary truck and overturned, triggering a fire that spread to nearby shops and structures.

The inferno destroyed several shops, goods, and vehicles.

The tanker driver was also trapped in the vehicle before he was rescued from the burning vehicle and taken to a hospital for medical attention.

Similarly, two people were burnt beyond recognition when a gas tanker and a tipper truck collided on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, resulting in a massive explosion in March. 2026.

The incident reportedly occurred when an oncoming speeding 20-tonne tipper truck from the Epe end rammed from behind into a stationary 30-tonne gas truck that failed to pull over from the highway.

It also led to a fire spreading to three adjoining warehouses and 10 roadside shops, including a gym and generator house, before it was eventually put out.