A tanker driver separated the traction head from his burning tank at Feesu Junction, along the Iwo-Ibadan Expressway in Osun State. The fire started shortly after he finished unloading. He detached the cabin and moved it towards a riverside. The action limited the fire’s spread. Thick smoke rose over the junction. Firefighters arrived later.
Nigeria’s fuel tanker record is deadly. In June 2018, a tanker explosion on Otedola Bridge in Lagos killed at least 12 people and burnt dozens of vehicles. In 2019, a tanker fire in Onitsha killed scores. In 2020, the Abule-Ado explosion in Lagos destroyed buildings and killed more than 20. In almost every case, the fire spread because the load was intact and no one could break the rig apart in time. Detaching a burning tank from its cabin is a textbook emergency move that most drivers never attempt, because it means standing next to the fire.
An eyewitness, Usain Taoreed, said the driver’s quick action prevented a disaster. The junction sits near houses and filling stations. A full tank fire in that location would have been catastrophic. The fire service responded after the smoke drew attention. The driver survived. Online reaction has been largely admiring. Many described him as the best driver of the year for risking his own life to protect others. Others called the move reckless, noting that a tanker can explode without warning and that no man should gamble his life on the timing.
Both reactions are reasonable. The driver acted with unusual presence of mind. He also had luck. The margin between heroism and a body bag was thin.
Winners: The driver, who gains public praise. Residents and traders around Feesu Junction, whose property survived. The filling stations nearby. Firefighters, whose job was contained. The tanker owner, whose rig was partly saved. Losers: The driver’s employer, who loses the tank and faces insurance scrutiny. Insurers, who will assess the loss. The Osun State Fire Service, whose response was slower than the driver’s. Road users, who face disruption at the junction.
Bottom Line: A driver detached a burning tank and drove it away from houses. That is not a job description. It is courage, luck and experience in the same moment. Nigeria should not rely on individual heroism to prevent tanker disasters. But when it appears, it deserves to be named.