Safety of lives and property were thrown to the wind Tuesday as residents of Igborosun area of Badagry, Lagos ignored danger of explosion as they freely scooped petrol from a fallen tanker.
The incident reportedly occurred in the morning as the tanker laden with 33,000 litres of petrol overturned and fell on the road.
Eyewitness account said despite the presence of security operatives in the area, scooping of petrol by the residents continued freely.
The Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke Osanyintolu said the agency’s attention has been drawn to the incident and emergency response plan has been activated.
He urged members of the public to be law abiding saying, “our attention has been brought to the tanker incident along Aso-Odo Road, Badagry. Emergency response plan has been activated.
“Members of the public are cautioned to cooperate with responders and to keep away from the scene and refrain from scooping petrol as this could cause a secondary incident.”
Petrol, also known as premium motor spirit (PMS) or gasoline; is a highly inflammable petroleum product. A little spark can cause explosion and fire.
Recently, 40 people were reportedly killed in a tanker explosion in Lagos, while about 207 have died from similar incidents in three years across the nation.