LASTMA has warned Lagos residents, traders and food vendors not to consume or sell groundnut oil recovered after a tanker overturned near Ojota, saying the product may have been contaminated after spilling onto the road and into drainage channels.
The tanker, carrying about 33,000 litres of groundnut oil, overturned near Abiola Garden around Ojota Bridge on Wednesday and disrupted traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
LASTMA said some people at the scene began scooping the spilled oil from the roadway and drainage areas.
The agency warned that contact with dirt, road debris, pollutants and drainage water could make the recovered oil unsafe for consumption or resale.
LASTMA warns against consuming recovered oil
LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki urged residents not to take the recovered oil home for cooking.
He also warned traders and food vendors against selling it to unsuspecting consumers.
The warning is precautionary.
Available information does not show that laboratory tests have confirmed contamination. There is also no verified report that anyone has fallen ill after consuming the spilled oil.
What is established is that the oil was exposed to the road environment and drainage channels before some people attempted to recover it.
No casualties reported after tanker crash
LASTMA said no casualties had been reported from the crash at the time of its statement.
The agency deployed rescue personnel and heavy-duty tow vehicles to remove the overturned tanker and clear the affected road.
Other emergency and security agencies also assisted with traffic control and recovery operations.
Brake failure remains preliminary account
Preliminary reports cited by LASTMA suggested brake failure as a possible cause of the crash.
That remains a preliminary account, not a final finding on what caused the tanker to overturn.
No final accident investigation has been established in the available reporting.
Could the recovered oil enter local markets?
For residents, the immediate advice is straightforward: oil recovered from the crash scene should not be consumed or sold.
The next public-safety question is whether any of the recovered oil entered local markets or food supply chains.
Available evidence does not establish that this happened.
Health and environmental authorities may therefore need to determine whether any recovered oil moved beyond the crash scene and whether further tracing or public warnings are necessary.
For now, LASTMA’s advisory remains a preventive public-safety warning — not evidence of a confirmed contamination or poisoning incident.
