Fuel tanker explosion kills 15 in Ibadan

No fewer than 15 persons lost their lives late Saturday night as a fully loaded petrol tanker exploded at Molete in Ibadan, Oyo State. The petrol tanker fell while trying to negotiate a bend.

Several others who sustained varying degrees of injuries, including an 8-year-old girl, were rushed to the Accident and Emergency section of University College Hospital, Ibadan.

The raging inferno which spread from Molete round about to Bode area of Ibadan lasted from about 8 pm Saturday night till about 3am, on Sunday, breezed past Prolek filling station before concerted efforts of the Oyo State Fire Service and well-meaning individuals could quench the inferno.
This incident would be the 5th occurrence in the Molete area having recorded same in August 1971, September 1975, April 1987 and the penultimate in 1994.


While some of the victims thanked providence for making them escape the fatal accident and raging inferno, they, however, complained bitterly about the debt incurred due to loss of property.


One of the victims who identified himself as Chigozie Eze, said the accident had left him completely ‘naked’.


Chigozie, who sells drugs said “I had left the shops and was on my way home when I received a call that my shop was on fire, when I got there, I was shocked to the bone marrow seeing the extent of the accident.”


Giving vivid account of how the accident happened, the highly depressed trader said: “I learnt that the truck driver was trying to avoid a bad spot on the road when negotiating the roundabout but lost control of the vehicle in the process.


“The contents reportedly spilled on the road and was followed by an explosion. God saved my brother who escaped through the back door but we lost everything. I had more than N400,000 in the shop”.


“One of our customers was said to have been so unlucky as he lost his life in the raging fire.”


Mr Eze Emmanuel, whose chemist shop was burnt recounted, “I just went to park my car and all I heard was a loud sound and fire ensued. It spread to my shop and even one of my customers who came to purchase something was burnt. My younger brother escaped through the back door, while the customer he sold something to was burnt. As at September when I took stock, it amounted to N4.3million.”


One of the affected traders, Mrs Alarape Sulaimon, expressed sadness at the loss of her wares running into thousands that she sold to make a living.


The Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has described the incident as devastating.


Ajimobi who visited the scene of the incident in the early hours yesterday, also commiserated with the families of the victims and those who lost their properties to the inferno, just as he reiterated that the development was one of the main reasons he always advised people, especially traders beside the road to leave.


“I have always been preaching and pleading that people should not be selling by the roadside; you can imagine if there was nobody here, lives could have been saved. Personally, I have been here severally to ensure people comply with the fact that they don’t have to be selling by the roadside. Those who are mainly affected are those that are by the roadside. I do hope that this would not happen again. I use this opportunity to commiserate with the families that have been affected and I pray that their souls be reposed,” he said.


He stated further that the government would in no time come up with efforts to educate people more on the need to adhere to the advice of the government, adding that, “this is because our people tend to forget things easily. We will plead with them again as well as ensure we enforce no trading by the roadside.