A mother and her child were on Sunday burnt “beyond recognition” when a petrol laden tanker exploded in Lavenham area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.
It was gathered that the incident, which happened at the popular Lafenwa market in the state capital, saw the tanker overturn due to suspected axle problem, around 04:45am while making its way inbound from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa area of Abeokuta.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Ahmed Umar, confirmed the incident in Abeokuta.
Umar, who had earlier confirmed the explosion, stated that the tanker with registration number FKJ 558 XY fell as a result of a bad road.
The sector commander explained that the FRSC, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and fire service were on the ground, saying the injured were taken to the hospital.
“The two deceased were burnt beyond recognition.
“Fire service vehicle was destroyed by an angry mob who also threw stones at security agencies who were on the ground. The police were able to calm the situation and few of the hoodlums were arrested,” he said.
The spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, who also confirmed the incident, said the tanker was engulfed in fire due to the uncooperative attitude of people around the axis who were scooping fuel and other unwholesome acts which sparked off the fire.
The TRACE’s spokesman explained that the tanker, due to axle problem overturned around 4 :45am while making its way inbound from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa, spilling its content on the road.
He advised the general public to vacate the vicinity, saying that TRACE, police, FRSC and the fire service were all on the ground to put the situation under control.
