Olayiwola Matthew
A petrol-laden tanker exploded on Tuesday, killing about 30 people and leaving 40 others injured along the Agaie–Baddegi Road in Niger State.
The incident, which occurred around 11 a.m. near Essa village after Agaie, was reportedly triggered when villagers attempted to scoop fuel from the fallen tanker.
Eyewitnesses told Leadership that most of the dead were among those collecting petrol from the accident scene before the sudden explosion.
Confirming the development, Niger State Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG and National Ex-Officio, Comrade Farouk Mohammed Kawo, described the accident as devastating.
The incident comes weeks after a midnight inferno erupted along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway, after a petrol-laden tanker overturned and spilt its contents, leaving an unconfirmed number of casualties.
The tragic incident, which occurred around 1 am on Friday, October 3, 2025, was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi.
Akinbiyi explained that the 33,000-litre fuel tanker lost control due to excessive speeding before toppling over and bursting into flames.
“The case of an inferno caused by a 30,000-litre fuel-laden tanker which fell on its side and spilt its contents around 0100hrs today, along the Abeokuta-Kobape-Siun-Sagamu Interchange stretch of the PMB Expressway, due to excessive speed and loss of control, has been reported,” he said.
The fire spread rapidly, engulfing nearby vehicles and damaging power infrastructure.