Business owners, others count losses as another tanker explodes in Ibadan

Properties worth millions of naira were lost to another tanker explosion that occurred on Saturday at the Lead City University road, near the Ibadan Toll Gate end of the expressway.

The incident, which happened at exactly 2:45 p.m., has thrown owners of the affected shops into mourning.

One of the affected shops, according to findings, was stocked with computer sets valued at millions of naira.

Several cars and motorcycles parked along the road were also razed by the fire.

As of the time of filing this report, there is no confirmed loss of life.

It was gathered that the truck driver and his motor boy narrowly escaped death by the skin of their teeth.

Men of the Oyo State Fire Service, supported by the Federal Fire Service, were on ground to bring the situation under control.

ALSO READ: Tinubu orders NUC, NBTE, others to crack down on illegal tertiary institutions

The owner of one of the affected shops, who refused to disclose her name, said:
“I just heard a loud bang from outside. Initially, I mistook it for gunshots.
Before I realized what was happening, the atmosphere had already been enveloped in thick smoke.
Calls were placed to the Fire Service, but before they arrived, the damage had already been done.
I have lost everything to the inferno. I don’t know where to begin again.”

Some sympathizers attributed the incident to the diversion caused by the ongoing road rehabilitation in the area.

According to them, the truck driver would not have used the access road if not for the ongoing roadwork.

“As you can see, this road is riddled with potholes, which made it difficult for the truck to navigate.
The truck fell on its side and exploded as the driver tried to maneuver through a bad portion of the road.
We thank God that no lives were lost, but the properties destroyed in the incident are unquantifiable,” a witness said.

Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the Oyo State Fire Service, Rev. Akinyinka, said his men were on the ground at the scene.

Meanwhile, security operatives have been strategically deployed in the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order by the affected shop owners.

The Fire Service has also managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other shops.

Sunday Tribune recalls that a similar incident was recently averted at Offa-Metta in Oyo.

A DAF trailer tanker loaded with 40,000 litres of DPK lost control while in motion and veered off the road, with its contents spilling out.

The Oyo State Fire Service crew swiftly responded by applying a chemical foam compound to neutralize and blanket the spill, preventing a potential fire outbreak.