A video circulating online shows Lagos residents scooping spilled groundnut oil from the road after a 33,000-litre tanker overturned at Ojota Bridge, around Abiola Garden, inward Old Toll Gate. The incident, which occurred on 14 October 2026, blocked the carriageway and disrupted traffic along the affected route.
In the footage, residents rushed to the scene with containers of different sizes to collect the cooking oil. One person could be heard asking, “Who is selling keg?” as he joined others in scooping the oil. The video sparked reactions online, with some Nigerians expressing concern that the recovered oil could end up in markets and be sold to unsuspecting buyers, while others feared roadside food vendors might use it commercially.
LASTMA Issues Public Health Advisory
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned residents against consuming or selling the recovered oil. In a public health advisory, the agency said the oil could have come into contact with road debris, environmental pollutants, drainage water and other potentially harmful substances.
LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed grave concern over reports that some individuals had resorted to scooping the spilled groundnut oil from road surfaces, drainage channels and other exposed locations. He emphatically warned that such indiscriminate collection and subsequent consumption or commercial distribution could constitute a serious public health risk.
Preliminary Reports Link Accident to Brake Failure
Preliminary security reports attribute the accident to suspected brake failure. LASTMA promptly deployed its Rescue and Recovery Team, supported by two high-capacity tow vehicles, to evacuate the overturned tanker and restore traffic circulation. Traffic management personnel were strategically positioned to coordinate vehicular movement and implement diversionary measures.
Bakare-Oki urged residents, traders, food vendors and other members of the public to refrain from consuming or selling the recovered oil. He stressed that the temptation to salvage spilled commodities must never supersede the imperative of public health protection, warning that the consumption of contaminated edible oil could expose unsuspecting individuals to avoidable health complications.
Coordinated Response at Scene
Other responders at the scene included personnel of the Nigerian Police Force, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency. Their coordinated intervention complemented LASTMA’s traffic management operations and supported efforts to address the immediate consequences of the incident.
The advisory was issued by Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA. The agency continues to warn the public against the consumption or commercial distribution of the potentially contaminated oil, emphasizing that public health must take priority over its recovery.
