There was panic in Awka, Anambra State on Saturday morning as petrol tanker loaded with PMS fell into a ditch along the ever busy Zik’s Avenue.
Residents and passersby ran for safety as the products spilled out, while some others started scooping it opposite Saint Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral church in Awka.
In a related development, a potential disaster was averted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, after a tanker conveying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also lost balance and spilled its contents on the major road leading to the nation’s busiest airport.
The incident, which occurred at about 10a.m, caused heavy vehicular traffic around the airport and its environs for several hours.
In Anambra, security operatives, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the state fire service, were on hand to forestall a repeat of what happened in Onitsha few weeks ago.
One of the residents who spoke with newsmen, simply identified as Chioma, said it was the intervention of God the tanker did not catch fire.
He said the police patrol teams cordoned off the area and prevented people from further scooping.
According to the State Police Public Relation’s Officer (PPRO), they had to take such proactive measure to stop the Onitsha experience.
Meanwhile, a group, Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation HURIDE, has threatened to stage a Protest over alleged failure of governance in Anambra State.
In Lagos, a reliable source from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Fire Service Department, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the disaster was averted by the prompt action taken by both FAAN fire fighters and the Lagos State fire fighters.
