Residents Scoop Groundnut Oil After Tanker Crash in Ojota, LASTMA Warns of Health Risks
By Reloaded News Desk
Residents rushed to scoop spilled groundnut oil after a tanker carrying 33,000 litres overturned near Ojota Bridge in Lagos, prompting the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to warn against consuming or selling the recovered product.
The accident occurred on Wednesday, October 14, around Abiola Garden, on the inward lane towards the Old Toll Gate along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The tanker overturned, spilling its contents onto the road and obstructing traffic along the busy corridor.
Videos from the scene showed people arriving with containers, buckets and other available vessels to collect the spilled oil. Some were seen gathering the product from exposed road surfaces and drainage channels.
The incident has raised concerns about public safety and the possibility that oil recovered from the accident scene could enter the food supply chain if collected for domestic use or commercial resale.
LASTMA warned residents, traders and food vendors against consuming or selling the recovered groundnut oil, citing the risk of contamination.
The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed concern that the spilled product could have come into contact with road debris, environmental pollutants, drainage water and other potentially harmful substances.
He urged members of the public to resist the temptation to collect the oil for cooking or resale, stressing that recovering spilled commodities should not take priority over public health.
The warning is particularly important because groundnut oil is widely used in Nigerian households and food businesses. If oil collected from the accident scene is repackaged and sold without appropriate safety checks, consumers may have no way of knowing where it came from or what it has been exposed to.
Although the extent of any contamination has not been established, the possibility is sufficient reason for the public to heed the agency’s warning.
Preliminary security reports indicated that suspected brake failure might have caused the tanker to overturn. However, the cause had not been established as a final finding.
LASTMA deployed its rescue and recovery team, supported by two heavy-duty tow vehicles, to remove the overturned tanker and restore traffic movement.
Other agencies involved in the response included the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency.
Traffic management officials also implemented measures to ease congestion caused by the obstruction.
No casualties had been reported at the time of the initial incident reports.
The rush to collect the spilled oil highlights a difficult public safety problem. A product that may still have commercial value to those who collect it can become a potential health hazard when it is exposed to uncontrolled conditions.
However, the images alone do not establish why each person was collecting the oil or whether it was intended for personal use or resale. What matters is ensuring that the recovered product does not reach consumers without appropriate safety assessment.
Authorities should also take steps to prevent further collection from potentially contaminated areas and ensure that the spilled commodity is handled and disposed of safely.
The incident is a reminder that the consequences of a road accident can extend beyond the immediate danger to motorists and passers-by. Where food products are involved, the response must also consider the risk to consumers who may never have visited the accident scene.
Residents have been urged to avoid collecting, consuming or selling the spilled groundnut oil and to cooperate with emergency officials.
For the public, the message is straightforward: groundnut oil recovered from the accident scene should not be treated as safe for consumption merely because it looks clean.
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