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The timely intervention of soldiers from the Signals Barracks at Mile 2 in Lagos on Tuesday averted a potential fire outbreak from a fuel-laden tanker after it was allegedly punctured by touts, popularly known as “Agbero”.
The soldiers were aided by men of the Nigeria Police, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), among others.
Eyewitness accounts said the trouble started after the touts, who usually collect money from truck and tanker drivers, hit the tanker with an iron and it began to gush fuel.
The intervention of the security operatives prevented people from rushing to scoop petrol from the leaking tanker, a common sight in Nigeria when such leakages occur.
Read also: Britain seizes tanker suspected of carrying oil to Syria
As the petrol tanker was spilling its content just under the Mile 2 Bridge, petrol could be seen flowing on the water in the gutter. While this was happening, all movements on the Orile-bound stretch of the road were crippled, leading to a chaotic scene around the Mile 2-Orile axis.
BusinessDay reporter on ground saw the security operatives frantically making calls to get the Fire Service on ground to nip any possible fire outbreak in the bud.
From Jesse in Delta State, where nearly 1,000 people died while scooping petrol from a pipeline in 1998, to the most recent one at Ijegun in Lagos State last July, hundreds of Nigerians have lost their lives while scooping fuel from tankers or vandalised pipelines.
