The Benue State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Yakubu Mohammad, has said that tanker drivers not complying to standard safety rules would risk jail term if caught.
Mohammed said this while giving reasons for constant tanker explosions in Nigeria.
On the heels of the tanker explosion that rocked the Oshigbudu community in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday, Mohammad blamed the non-usage of safety valves to guard against spillage when tankers were involved in crashes, leading to spillage and the attendant destruction.
He warned petroleum tanker owners against the non-usage of safety valves.
In a statement signed by the command’s Public Education Officer, Oladele Meshach, the sector commander warned all petroleum tanker owners to ensure the immediate installation of safety valves on their tankers to protect lives, property and the products that the vehicles convey.
The sector commander vowed that any driver caught in contravention of the standard would risk going to jail.
Mohammad lamented that it was disheartening to see some petroleum tankers still plying the roads without safety valves fixed on them despite the February 2021 deadline earlier issued.
“This warning came following a crash by a petroleum tanker that lost control, spilled fuel and burst into flames at Oshigbudu in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday, April 18, 2021, where 12 persons died as a result of the crash and several properties destroyed,” the statement read.
I was reported that a fuel tanker on Sunday, exploded at the residential area of the community, leading to the death of about 12 persons with shops, vehicles and houses razed down.
