Another tanker overturns in Niger State, spilling fuel on major road

A petrol tanker, in the early hours of Sunday, October 26, 2025, overturned at the Lambata-Lapai-Agaie Road in Niger State. The incident, which occurred at Takalafiya village in Lapai Local Government Area, caused a spill but was contained without explosion due to the prompt response of emergency services.
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The prompt intervention by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBUL) Fire Service and personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) prevented the spilled fuel from igniting, averting a major fire disaster.
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‎Dr. Ibrahim Audu Hussaini, Director of Information and Special Duties, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), confirmed that there was no cause for alarm as the truck did not explode and security personnel were mobilized to guard the scene.
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Officials of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) also assisted in recovering the spilled fuel into drums.
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The tanker was traveling from Lagos to Kano, utilizing the major national road network for transporting goods, especially petroleum products. This particular route, the Bida-Agaie-Lapai-Lambata-Diko Road, is known for frequent fatal tanker accidents and explosions, a recent incident in the same month killed dozens, which are largely blamed on its deplorable condition despite multiple attempts and contracts for rehabilitation.
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A resident, Mallam Mahmud Abubakar, states that the spot of the accident had been recently reconstructed under an NNPCL intervention project but has already deteriorated, due to some undeniable factors.
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However, without comprehensive and sustained rehabilitation of this major transport artery, the underlying risk of recurrent, tragic accidents remains a national concern.
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