VIDEO: Residents scoop fuel from overturned tanker in Oyo

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A viral video shared by Oyo Affairs on social media on Sunday shows people collecting fuel from a fallen tanker along the Academy-Iwo Road Expressway in Ibadan, without regard for the extreme danger involved.

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At least 411 Nigerians died in 2024 while scooping fuel from fallen tankers, federal authorities reported.

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“People caught on camera scooping fuel from a fallen tanker along Academy-Iwo Road Expressway, Ibadan, not minding the grave risk,” the video caption reads, highlighting the ongoing prevalence of the practice.

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Authorities note that fuel scooping has been a persistent problem across the country.

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In 2025, the Federal Road Safety Corps, Benue Sector Command, reported that 411 Nigerians lost their lives while scooping fuel from fallen tankers in 2024 alone.

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Sector Commander Mr Steve Ayodele said the figure represents 7.6 per cent of total road traffic deaths in 2024 and stressed that fatalities are only part of the danger.

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He added that the meeting, themed “Discourage Fuel Scooping and Other Anti-Road Traffic Attitudes,” aimed to mitigate such incidents and reinforce safer driving and public conduct.

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Recent cases illustrate that the risk persists in 2026.

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In January, a diesel tanker overturned at Liverpool Bridge, Apapa, Lagos, blocking commuters along the Mile 2 route. Residents were seen scooping diesel from the tanker before emergency responders could secure the scene.

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The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency issued a public warning, cautioning citizens against dangerous behaviour around the overturned vehicle.

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The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, also condemned fuel scooping and called for the practice to be criminalised.

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He said the act poses “extreme and preventable risks to human life, public safety, and national infrastructure,” recalling previous tragedies in which tanker accidents and fuel scooping resulted in explosions and the deaths of hundreds.

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“I urge the National Assembly to enact legislation criminalising fuel scooping from fallen tankers, with clear, deterrent penalties for offenders,” Issa-Onilu said. He added that public education must be reinforced with legal and enforcement frameworks to end the behaviour.

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According to Issa-Onilu, Nigerians must collectively reject actions that lead to mass casualties. “Human life is sacred and priceless. No situation, excuse, or momentary gain justifies conduct that places lives in imminent danger,” he said.

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Watch video here

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𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘆𝗼

Credit: X | Oyo Affairs

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March 22, 2026

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