The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has issued a warning against the dangerous practice of scooping petrol from overturned tankers, urging the public to allow only trained professionals to manage such incidents.
This caution follows a recent petrol tanker accident in Port Harcourt, where no lives or property were lost due to the swift response of the FRSC and other emergency services.
FRSC Sector Commander in Rivers, Inyang Umoh, highlighted the importance of adhering to safety regulations to prevent road accidents.
He noted that the prompt actions of various agencies prevented a potentially disastrous situation, especially given the high density of activity in the area where the tanker fell.
”If not for prompt intervention by our officers, in synergy with sister agencies, the situation would have been more disastrous and a replica of the gory incident that happened recently in Jigawa.
”In the case of Port Harcourt, the tanker fell in a very high-density area, with so many human and vehicular activities.
”I commend the level of cooperation amongst sister agencies in this life-saving task as well as our officers who specifically towed the affected petrol tanker away from the accident scene to a safe tank farm,” he said.
Umoh also criticized individuals who might use economic hardship as justification for engaging in hazardous activities like scooping petrol from accident sites.
He expressed concern over drivers ignoring speed limits, which he attributed as a contributing factor to the Port Harcourt incident, where a driver failed to slow down at a roundabout, resulting in the tanker overturning.
To combat these issues, Umoh stated that the FRSC is actively collaborating with media outlets to raise public awareness about road safety. He urged all road users to adhere strictly to speed regulations and other safety measures as they approach the end of the year.
