What began as a routine Thursday morning along the busy Benin-Lagos Expressway turned into a scene of utter devastation when a petrol tanker overturned and exploded near the popular Oluku Market in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
While medical personnel continue to treat eight victims who sustained severe burn injuries at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), local traders are left sifting through the smoking ruins of their shops and stores.
For many small business owners along the commercial corridor, years of hard work, investments, and stock accumulated for weekend sales were erased in a matter of minutes.
“My entire stock was reduced to black charcoal”
The sheer speed of the fireball left vendors with zero time to salvage their goods or protect their properties.
One foodstuff seller shared a picture of his shop fully stocked with bags of rice just moments before the blast.
He recalled the terror of watching the flames engulf the entire shop, leaving charcoal and ashes in its wake:
“I had just received a fresh delivery of rice bags ahead of the weekend market rush,” one witness recounted. “Before we could even process what was happening, heat filled the air and fire swept across the stalls. In less than 30 minutes, an entire shop filled with bags of rice was reduced to pure black charcoal.”
Alongside food supply stores, multiple commercial vehicles—including two passenger buses, an Audi sedan, and a haulage truck—were incinerated where they were parked.
Calls for emergency relief as traders face economic ruin
The incident has sparked widespread sympathy across Edo State, with community leaders and local representatives visiting the scene to assess the structural damage and console weeping business owners.
The Chairman of Ovia North-East Local Government Council, Orobosa Eriamiatoe, along with security agencies, inspected the affected areas as emergency responders finalised cleanup efforts.
With millions of Naira in merchandise destroyed overnight, affected traders have appealed to the Edo State Government, humanitarian organizations, and well-meaning individuals for urgent financial assistance to help rebuild their lives and restart their businesses.
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