Driver, motor boy killed in Ogun fuel tanker accident

A fatal crash involving a petrol tanker has resulted in the deaths of at least three people, including the driver, Salau Semiu, and his assistant, known as Saheed, at Imope Village in Oru Ijebu along the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.

Our correspondent learnt from the state police command on Saturday night that the accident occurred around 9:30am on Saturday when the driver of the tanker, with number plate T 623 LA X, lost control of the vehicle.

According to the police, the truck was carrying 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, and was travelling from a depot in Lagos to Oyo State when it veered off the road and overturned, resulting in an explosion.

The explosion resulting from the accident, PUNCH Online learnt, claimed the lives of three individuals: the driver, his assistant, and an unidentified female passenger.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said, “The truck was carrying 45,000 litres of petrol loaded from Pinnacle Petrol Depot in Lagos and was travelling from Ijebu Ode towards Ibadan, Oyo State.

“We initiated an investigation into the accident, with the scene being visited by the Divisional Police Officer, Oru Division who mobilised traffic personnel to halt vehicular movement as well as the Ogun State Fire Service, who responded swiftly and the inferno was surmounted.

“Documentary photographs were taken, while the bodies of Salau Semiu and Saheed have been deposited in the State General Hospital mortuary. Emergency services, the Federal Road Safety Corps, OGS TRACE, and other security stakeholders were mobilised to manage the situation and clear the roadway.”

PUNCH Online reports that a similar accident was averted when a tanker carrying 33,000 litres of PMS fell at Odo-Sede in the Akeja area along Osi-Ikola in Ota.

The tanker, also travelling from Lagos, rolled back while ascending a hill and toppled onto its side on Akeja Road.