Five people sustained injuries on Thursday after a fuel tanker collided with a commercial bus at Toyota Bus Stop, inward Oshodi, Lagos State. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the accident occurred near The Guardian newspaper headquarters and involved a PMS-laden tanker with registration number T28128LA and a Volkswagen T4 commercial bus, GGE 526 YG.
According to preliminary findings from the Oloto Police Division, the tanker experienced a sudden brake failure while travelling at high speed. It rammed into the bus, which was fully loaded with passengers, causing panic and chaos in the busy corridor.
LASTMA’s rescue team, working alongside the Lagos State Ambulance Service and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency’s Rescue Unit, executed what the agency described as a coordinated and precise emergency operation. Officers secured the accident scene, extracted the injured, and ensured no secondary hazards arose from the tanker’s flammable cargo.
The five victims, including three women, two men, and the bus driver, were quickly attended to. One was rushed to hospital by a passerby, while the others were transported to medical facilities by state emergency services for urgent treatment.
LASTMA General Manager Bakare-Oki expressed sympathy to the victims and wished them a speedy recovery. He blamed the incident on excessive speeding and poor mechanical upkeep of heavy-duty vehicles, particularly tanker trucks.
He urged truck operators to maintain their vehicles in top mechanical condition, with special attention to braking systems, and to implement continuous driver training and retraining programmes. According to him, “The sanctity of human life must remain the paramount consideration in all road transport operations.”
