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A fuel tanker exploded along the Ibadan Expressway near the Lead City University road on Saturday, April 12, reducing several shops and vehicles to rubble and leaving traders and residents devastated.
The explosion, which occurred around 2:45 pm, sent thick black smoke billowing across the area and caused damage reportedly worth millions of naira.
The driver of the tanker and his motor boy narrowly escaped death. Eyewitnesses blamed the incident on ongoing road construction and diversions in the area.
Eyewitness account
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“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 manoeuvre through a bad portion of the road.
"We thank God that no lives were lost, but the properties destroyed in the incident are unquantifiable,” said a local resident.
One shop owner, visibly shaken, described the moment the blast occurred.
“I just heard a loud bang from outside. Initially, I mistook it for gunshots. Before I realised what was happening, the atmosphere had already been enveloped in thick smoke.
"Calls were placed to the Fire Service, but the damage had already been done before they arrived. I have lost everything to the inferno. I don’t know where to begin again,” he said.
The Oyo State Fire Service responded swiftly to the emergency. Its general manager, Akinyemi Akinyinka, confirmed that personnel were deployed to the scene and succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading further into the neighborhood.
No casualties have been reported, but the incident has reignited concerns over road safety and emergency response along the expressway corridor.