Tanker with PMS crashes on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

Motorists going to Ibadan from Lagos have been advised to take alternate corridors to avoid gridlock as a tanker laden with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) crashed around RCCG Car Park C, near Mowe, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Mr Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander of FRSC, said that the accident happened at about 4.48 am.

Oladele advised the travellers going to distant places to seek alternative routes away from the Lagos-Ibadan expressway via the long bridge to Mowe.

Oladele listed the alternate corridors available to include Victoria Island-Ajah- Ijebu Ode and Lagos-Ota-Itori-Abeokuta expressway.

He appealed to all motorists to note the traffic occurrence and bear with the inconveniences.

Oladele explained that the tanker, with registration number LFA 106 ZX, laden with petroleum product, lost control due to speeding around RCCG Car Park C, near Mowe and crashed into the road barriers on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The FRSC boss said that this development had created serious traffic gridlocks on both sections of the expressway.

The sector commander said that two males were involved in the accident, adding however that no life was lost and that nobody sustained injury.

“The FRSC is managing the situation and has contacted the fire service and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s emergency team to commence trans-loading and removal of the crashed tanker and eventual realignment of the displaced barriers, to restore traffic,” he said.

This, he said, had become necessary considering the period it could take to trans load the PMS in the crashed vehicle to another empty tanker, remove the crashed vehicle from the ditch, replace the road barriers the crash displaced and eventually restore traffic.

The sector commander assured that the FRSC rescue team working with sister traffic and emergency agencies was working assiduously to clear the crash site and restore free flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Command, Clement Oladele, has said that only a section of the Lagos-Sagamu Interchange was cordoned off, rather than the entire stretch of the road.

The FRSC explained that only a part of the section that leads to Ijebu-Ore-Benin Expressway was cordoned off due to the impact of the fire incident that happened as a result of fuel tanker explosion on the Lagos-Sagamu-Benin Expressway on Wednesday.

Recall that two fuel tankers got burnt at the spot when they collided on Wednesday, which affected some sections of the road.

Oladele said some engineers of the company working on the road had examined the affected parts of the road and had advised that the area had been compromised.

He further said that his men had initially acted on the advice and diverted the vehicles plying the road, but they had reversed the action due to another advice from the senior engineers.

According to him, a set of senior engineers visited the scene and gave a nod for the use of the part of the section of the road.

When asked if the interchange had been closed due to the incident, Oladele said, “No. What happened was that the road was checked and it was discovered that sections of it were compromised.

“So, they still further sent another set of engineers who re-examined it and said they would close only the sections that are compromised while the other section would still be available for use.

“We have even started enforcing it. We directed vehicles not to use the bridge because we are scared that the bridge might have been affected.

“Later, they now brought more senior engineers who came and said ‘No. It is still okay.’

“They said the only thing we can do is that the area affected area be blocked.

“They are currently working on it because the fire burnt the section that leads to Ijebu-Ode, the part of the column is badly burnt.”

Oladele further explained that another set of engineers visited the scene again to check it, and they said the other parts of the section were still good.

He said, “Not the entire sections, there are two lanes. We have even issued an advisory that in the interim, people should use the other part at the back of FRSC office.

“They should use the other part from Road Safety Office, just go and connect.”