Okpebholo Blames Tanker Owner for Edo Explosion
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has blamed the explosion of a petrol tanker in the Oluku area of Benin City on the tanker owner’s decision to transfer fuel to another tanker without taking the necessary safety…
Tanker explosions remain a recurring hazard on Nigerian roads, often linked to poor vehicle maintenance, overloading, and unsafe fuel transfer practices between vehicles when tankers break down or are offloaded informally rather than at designated depots. Such incidents have repeatedly caused mass casualties and destroyed property and livelihoods in communities along major highways, renewing calls for stricter enforcement of petroleum transport safety regulations by agencies like the NMDPRA and FRSC.
In this instance, Governor Monday Okpebholo attributed the explosion in the Oluku area of Benin City to the tanker owner's decision to transfer fuel into another vehicle without observing proper safety precautions, a move reported to have triggered the fire that razed a market and surrounding property. Coverage from Daily Trust and BusinessDay agree on the governor's attribution of blame, while BusinessDay additionally reports his pledge to rebuild the affected market. Details on casualties, the scale of destruction, and any safety or compensation measures for traders are yet to be fully reported.