A 38-year-old tanker driver, Alagbe Hezekiah, an indigene of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has been hailed for his bravery after driving a burning diesel-laden tanker away from a filling station and populated area in Iwo, Osun State.
The incident occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Feesu Junction along the Iwo-Ibadan Expressway, opposite Lado Filling Station, Iwo.
Hezekiah had reportedly gone to the filling station to supply fuel when the hose had already been connected to offload the diesel from his tanker. However, fire suddenly erupted from the truck under circumstances that remain unknown.
According to Hezekiah, he and his motor boy immediately attempted to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher, but the extinguisher could not contain the flames, which were spreading rapidly towards the filling station, nearby shops and residential buildings.
As the situation worsened, his apprentice fled the scene in panic.
Rather than abandoning the burning tanker, Hezekiah made the decision to get behind the wheel and drive it away from the filling station and the surrounding populated area.
“I thought of what I can do to avert putting lives of many and properties at risk. I drove the vehicle out of the petrol station,” he recounted.
He said he scanned the area for a location without residents and decided to drive towards a riverbank where the incident would be less likely to cause casualties.
“I took the bold step with the conviction that I may survive or be consumed and die with the incident,” Hezekiah said.
“However, sacrificing my life to save properties and other people’s lives would be better than risking others with the incident.”
He drove the flaming tanker along the road, with fire engulfing the rear of the vehicle, until he reached a safe, uninhabited area near a riverbank.
He then detached the head of the truck from the burning tank, bringing the tanker away from the filling station, nearby businesses and residential buildings.
The action prevented the burning tanker from remaining near the fuel pumps and populated area, where a larger fire or explosion could have put more lives and property at risk.
