Security Agencies, Emergency Responders Manage Diesel Spill on Liverpool Bridge, Apapa, After Tanker Overturns

 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

 

Security agencies and emergency responders, including the Nigeria Police Force, Armed Forces, Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, and Fire Service, have collaborated to manage a diesel spill on Liverpool Bridge, after a tanker skidded and overturned along the Mile 2 corridor, Apapa, Lagos.

 

 

The agencies and government officials present, ensured the road and bridge were safe for commuters and Apapa Port users.

 

The tanker, with plate number NMR 22 MW, was carrying 33,000 litres of diesel to Atlanta Shipping Line from NIPCO in Apapa.

An eyewitness account revealed that the truck suddenly reversed while in motion and then turned due to brake failure. “The tanker belongs to NIPCO, and the owner of the diesel, fondly called Baba Sanni, was devastated by the situation. Despite this, he immediately went to attend to the injured driver and his assistant at a nearby hospital,” the witness said.

 

This incident occurred early Monday, 19 January 2026, causing significant traffic disruptions, with residents risking their lives to scoop diesel despite warnings from authorities.

 

Security agencies at the scene diverted vehicles towards Oduduwa Christian Road, blocking Liverpool Bridge to facilitate transloading of the diesel to another tanker(Howo Truck) and evacuation of the damaged truck.

Addressing journalists, the Director of Operations and Maintenance, LASEMA, Engr. Olatunde Akinsanya, stated that the situation was a clear-cut single diesel tanker accident, caused by excessive speed.

 

He emphasised the importance of maintaining safety speed limits, especially at bends, to prevent future incidents.

 

‎”It was an attempt to be at a high speed that caused triangular skidding of the vehicle and that was exactly what happened. It was a massive fall and a single accident and so what that speaks to us is that at every bend there is a minimum speed you are expected to maintain. It is a turning angle bend, that is a safety limit,” he said, “It is good for the people of Lagos State to know that at every bend there is a speed limit that will sustain their safety. So this very driver did not maintain that safety speed limit and that was what caused the truck loaded with 33,000 litres of diesel to skid and fell”.

 

Also speaking, Victor Akpan from the MRS Safety Department, Apapa, said his team arrived at the scene after the incident. “We saw the driver and his motorboy being rushed to the hospital.

 

The driver sustained an arm dislocation, while the motorboy had a minor injury,” he noted.

 

Akpan explained that there’s an HSE cluster at Apapa comprising all depots, which alerts them to safety issues. Upon arrival, they swung into action, deploying security men to secure the area, especially under the bridge where a market is located, to prevent lives and properties from being affected.

 

The team worked with other agencies to contain the spill, foaming the area to neutralize it and prevent a fire incident. NIPCO provided an alternative tanker for transloading, while LASEMA provided a crane to facilitate the operation.

 

The Lagos State Government has assured that all hazards and crisis have been addressed, noting the road will be reopened soon.

 

The Fire Service officials later mop up the spilled diesel to prevent secondary incidents, immediately the damaged tanker was evacuated.