A potentially catastrophic accident was narrowly avoided Monday when a fuel tanker carrying 33,000 liters of petrol collided with a tipper truck at the dangerous Ugwu Onyeama stretch of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway. The crash occurred as the tanker descended from the Ninth Mile direction while the tipper climbed from the Enugu end, both forced to share the single operational lane on that section of the road.
Miraculously, all six occupants of both vehicles escaped unharmed, with only one person sustaining injuries. The injured victim was rushed to Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane for treatment.
Enugu FRSC Sector Commander Franklin Agbakoba confirmed that emergency responders, including FRSC officers and firefighters, immediately cordoned off the scene. Fire trucks remained on standby as officials worked to prevent fuel scooping by bystanders and diverted traffic to the opposite lane.
“This could have been another major disaster,” Agbakoba told reporters. “Our teams are maintaining vigilance until the fuel is safely transloaded to another tanker. We’ve completely blocked the affected section as a precaution.”
The incident revives painful memories of a deadly inferno at the same location two months prior, when 16 passengers perished after a fuel-laden trailer overturned and exploded, consuming eight vehicles in the resulting fireball.
Authorities have renewed calls for urgent repairs to the notorious Ugwu Onyeama stretch, where the narrowed single lane forces opposing heavy vehicles into dangerous proximity. The FRSC has deployed additional patrol units to monitor the area while awaiting permanent solutions to the road’s structural challenges.
