Fuel scooping, recurring deaths

Many people were feared dead yesterday, while 10 others sustained varying degrees of injury when a fallen fuel tanker exploded at Oluku on the Benin-Lagos Road in Edo State.

Daily Trust could not independently confirm the number of fatalities. However, some security officials, who declined to speak officially, said five people were reportedly killed in the incident.

Oluku is a busy area where drivers of articulated and heavy-duty trucks often park to rest before continuing their journeys.

The incident occurred near Oluku Market, destroying several shops, houses and vehicles in the area.

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The explosion occurred in the early hours of Thursday when a petrol tanker attempting to make a U-turn near the market fell and spilled its contents onto the road.

Witnesses said that shortly after the tanker fell, residents and passers-by rushed to the scene and began scooping fuel from the road and drainage channels.

One of the witnesses, who identified himself simply as John, said he had joined some people who were scooping the fuel before security operatives arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.

He said the truck owner had brought another tanker to evacuate the remaining fuel from the fallen vehicle when it exploded, leaving several victims burnt beyond recognition and many others injured.

According to him, 10 injured victims were rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for medical attention, while some corpses were deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.

He said, “I was also among those scooping the fuel. I escaped by the whiskers. A soldier called me and drew my attention to the fact that the weather was hot and that the way people were rushing to scoop the fuel could ignite a fire.

“As I looked back after he spoke to me, the tanker burst into flames, and people around the area scampered for safety. I thank the soldier; if not, I would have been burnt by now.

“Two men who were directly under the tanker were burnt, while shops built on the drainage were also razed. We are yet to ascertain the number of people who died.”

Another witness, Juliet Philip, blamed the incident on the refusal of some residents to heed warnings against scooping fuel from the fallen tanker.

She said the perpetrators ignored some people, who attempted to stop them from the act, as they reportedly argued that petrol was selling for N1,500 per litre and they intended to sell what they collected.

Philip explained that many people were trapped when the tanker exploded, adding that several shops at Oluku Market and vehicles parked in the area were destroyed by the inferno.

“The market was seriously affected because the fuel spilled into the drainage channels within the market. Some people also scooped fuel and stored it in their shops,” she said.

The witness explained that some residents refused to leave the scene despite efforts by security personnel to drive them away, adding that some even attacked the operatives.

“Even with the presence of soldiers and other security agents, some people refused to leave. When the security personnel chased them away, some would return and attack the military and other personnel, including road safety officers,” he said.

When our reporter visited UBTH, the hospital management had mobilised emergency personnel to treat victims of the explosion brought to the facility.

The Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, was seen leading the emergency response team across the accident and emergency and burns units to stabilise severely injured victims.

A source at the hospital, who requested anonymity, said several victims with burns were brought to the facility by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police.

The source said he counted about 10 persons with varying degrees of burns brought to the emergency unit, while some corpses were taken to the mortuary.

“The Chief Medical Director was leading the emergency response to ensure that the victims were stabilised,” he said.

‘Casualty figure not yet known’

The Executive Secretary of the Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EdoSEMA), Jerry Idahosa, said the agency could not immediately provide the actual casualty figure because emergency responders were still at the scene battling the fire.

He said, “It is by tomorrow (today) that we can ascertain the number of casualties because the fire is still burning. However, we have three persons who sustained injuries, including a soldier and two other persons who were close to the truck when it exploded. They are receiving treatment at the hospital.”

The Edo State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Preye Ezekiel Bedford, said FRSC officials, police officers, firefighters, the Edo State Traffic Management Agency and military personnel were at the scene to manage traffic and assist with the emergency response.

Although he did not disclose the number of fatalities, Bedford confirmed that 10 people sustained injuries in the incident.

Recent deadly tanker explosions

At least two persons were killed and one other injured on Sunday, February 8, 2026, when a petrol-laden tanker exploded along the Ihiala axis of the Onitsha-Owerri Road, opposite the FRSC office of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

The explosion occurred after the tanker collided with a car and rammed into a barricade, spilling its contents and triggering a massive fire.

Witnesses reported that the tanker was travelling at high speed when it lost control and crashed into the barricade.

Similarly, two persons lost their lives on Saturday, March 21, after a gas tanker collided with a tipper truck in the Ajah axis of Lagos. Several properties, including warehouses and roadside shops, were also destroyed.

The Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the oncoming speeding tipper truck from the Epe end rammed from behind into a stationary 30-tonne gas truck that failed to pull over from the highway.

No fewer than 45 persons were killed and 62 others injured in a petrol tanker explosion on October 21, 2025, at Essa community along the Bida–Badegi–Agaie Road in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.

Head of Operations, NEMA, Minna Office, Hussaini Isah, disclosed that all the victims were affected while scooping spilled fuel from the crashed tanker.

“All the victims were affected as a result of scooping fuel. Some of the victims were initially evacuated to Essa Primary Health Care, Idris Private Hospital, but were later moved to Umaru Sanda General Hospital, Bida, and the Federal Medical Centre, Bida. Fourteen critically injured persons were referred to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital for further treatment,” he had said.

Earlier that month, at least two people reportedly died in a petrol tanker explosion in Agbor in Ika LGA of Delta state.

At least 98 persons were confirmed dead and 69 injured from the petrol tanker explosion that occurred in Gurara LGA of Niger State on January 20, 2025. About 20 shops were also destroyed during the incident.

It was learnt that the explosion occurred when a tanker conveying petrol crashed and another tanker was brought to transfer the contents.

No fewer than 209 persons were confirmed dead in the October 14, 2024 tanker explosion in Majia, Jigawa State.

The chairman of an investigation committee set up to probe the incident, DIG Hafizu Muhammad Inuwa (Retd), said findings revealed that several factors, including damaged speed bumps and potholes near the scene, night driving, and excessive speed, contributed to the fire.

“It was noted that the fire likely ignited due to friction between metallic containers and hard surfaces as victims attempted to scoop spilled fuel,” he added.

What is driving scooping?

The Head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Operations Office in Benin, Kenoma Ojuedeire, attributed the growing practice of fuel scooping to greed, lamenting that Nigerians had failed to learn from previous tragedies.

“For me, I think this is a result of greed because I don’t see why a normal person would go and scoop fuel, knowing that death is knocking. If you watch some of the videos on social media, you hear people saying that a litre of fuel is N1,500. Because of N1,500, they go and face death,” he added.

Ojuedeire called for increased and sustained public sensitisation to educate residents on the dangers of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.

Similarly, a civil rights activist, Kola Edokpayi, attributed the development to greed.

Kola, who is the President of the Talawaka Parliament, said poverty alone could not explain the dangerous practice, noting that some poor people deliberately avoided scooping fuel because they understood the risks involved.

“I say it is greed because there are people who are poor but desist from scooping fuel. When one is greedy, the person tends to ignore the attendant consequences of scooping fuel from a fallen tanker, even though many people have died in similar incidents,” he said.

Edokpayi called for sustained reorientation and public sensitisation by the government and individuals to reduce deaths associated with scooping spilled fuel.

Sociologist Collins Gambo blamed the growing desperation among Nigerians, declining social values and economic hardship for the recurring practice of scooping fuel from fallen tankers, warning that people are risking their lives in a bid to survive.

Gambo said the practice reflected deeper social and economic problems that could not be addressed through arrests alone, urging the government to improve citizens’ welfare and tackle the conditions that drive people to engage in the dangerous act.

Describing the act from a sociological perspective, Gambo likened it to “anomic suicide,” a concept associated with the breakdown of social norms and established social order.

According to him, economic hardship remains one of the major reasons people risk their lives to scoop fuel, as many struggle to meet their basic needs and see the activity as an opportunity to make quick money.

“People do not have the means of survival. They want to get this fuel so that they can sell and make a living temporarily,” Gambo said.

He argued that the desperation to survive had made some people disregard the dangers associated with collecting fuel from accident scenes, particularly when they believed the proceeds could provide temporary relief from their financial difficulties.

The sociologist also identified the erosion of cultural values and the declining willingness of people to sympathise with others in distress as factors contributing to the practice.

He said tanker accidents should ordinarily attract public sympathy because they often result in significant financial losses to the owners, but some people now see such incidents as opportunities for personal gains.

“People should empathise, but the empathy is not there, because there is a breakdown in cultural norms. When somebody loses something, people empathise; they want to take advantage of that situation,” he said.

Gambo further linked fuel scooping to the perceived divide between the wealthy and the poor, arguing that some Nigerians view the practice as an opportunity to benefit from resources they believe are concentrated in the hands of privileged individuals.

He said the perception that wealthy business owners and influential members of society were indifferent to the struggles of ordinary Nigerians could encourage some people to justify taking fuel from accident scenes.

However, Gambo stressed that addressing the practice required both individual responsibility and deliberate government intervention.

He urged Nigerians to show compassion towards victims of tanker accidents and their owners rather than exploit their misfortune for personal gain.

He also called on the government to complement law enforcement with practical measures to improve citizens’ living conditions, noting that efforts to address the underlying causes of desperation could help discourage people from risking their lives to collect fuel.