The Ogun State Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ahmed Umar has warned against spread of fake news over the gas explosion which occurred Sunday night along Lagos-Ibadan expressway
Penpushing reports that, the command gave the caution note in reaction to a news publication credited to Opera news that the explosion involved AGO 50,000 tanker, explaining that the report was misleading.
The Command in a statement by its Public Education Officer, Florence Okpe emphasised that the news was not only fallacious but misleading and capable of causing unnecessary panic among the motoring public plying Lagos- Ibadan expressway.
Penpushing further reports that, Okpe, a Superintendent Route Commander, explained that the correct version of the incident was a fire outbreak involving a LPG TANKER (not an AGO 50,000 TANKER) around Km 38 on the outward section of Lagos-Ibadan expressway which occurred at about 2200hrs .
‘‘The attention of the FRSC RS2.2 Ogun Sector Command has been drawn to a certain fake news on fire publication by Newsdirect without the name of the reporter or correspondent and carried by Opera news. The news is not only fallacious but misleading and capable of causing unnecessary panic among the motoring public playing Lagos- Ibadan expressway’, she wrote.
‘The real incident was a fire outbreak involving a LPG TANKER (not an AGO 50,000 TANKER) around KM 38 on the outward section of Lagos-Ibadan expressway which occurred at about 2200hrs’,she added .
‘The FRSC Rescue Team were promptly notified and mobilized to the scene of the crash before the fire outbreak and rescued three victims from the vehicle and took them to Idera Hospital Sagamu . The Team contacted Ogun State Fire Service along the corridor who came and helped to control the fire while the FRSC personnel remained on ground to manage the traffic situation’, Okpe added.
Penpushing also reports that the statement said, traffic was diverted to one lane to prevent further spread of the fire or secondary crash which resulted in traffic jam, adding that as at 0630hrs on Monday, the burnt tanker had been removed from the road and traffic restored on both section of the expressway
‘The Sector Commander has therefore condemned the fake report by Newsdirect as carried by Opera news as it’s a fabrication of lies based on malicious intent to cause pandemonium amongst the motoring public’, she emphasised.
‘The Sector Commander hereby warn these perpetrator of fake news to desist forth with as a repeat of this shall not only be viewed as intentional and inimical to public peace but also shall be treated with utmost decisive seriousness it deserves’, the statement stressed.
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