• Fuel scooping from a fallen tanker at Liverpool bridge, Lagos , Monday 19 January 2026.

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has condemned the act of scooping fuel from a fallen tanker, as witnessed today at the Liverpool Bridge, Apapa area of Lagos State.

The Director- General therefore called on the National Assembly to urgently initiate and enact comprehensive legislation that will expressly criminalise the act of fuel scooping from fallen tankers and prescribe firm, clear, and deterrent penalties for perpetrators.

” This practice is completely unacceptable in a modern society and poses an extreme and avoidable threat to human life, public safety, and national infrastructure,” said Issa-Onilu .

He pointed out that the risks involved are not limited to those directly engaged in the act; the collateral danger to motorists, nearby communities, emergency responders, and critical assets is enormous and far outweighs any perceived or imagined benefit.

Issa-Onilu noted that the National Orientation Agency has, over the years, consistently deployed nationwide sensitisation and public enlightenment campaigns to conscientise Nigerians on the dangers inherent in fuel scooping and similar high-risk behaviours. Regrettably, despite sustained advocacy, repeated warnings, and value-reorientation efforts, some individuals have remained adamant and have continued to engage in this undesirable and life-threatening conduct.

The Director General stated unequivocally that this behaviour cannot be justified under any circumstances. “This is not poverty.

Poverty does not take away the sense in people’s heads, nor does it eliminate judgement or the instinct for self-preservation. What we are witnessing is a conscious, reckless, and criminal disregard for human life and public safety,” he said.

He recalled that Nigeria has, in the past, recorded several tragic incidents across different parts of the country where fuel tanker accidents led to explosions and infernos after people attempted to scoop fuel, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives. These recurring tragedies, he stressed, are painful reminders that this menace is recurrent, preventable, and must no longer be tolerated.In view of the grave danger posed by this practice, t

He emphasised that sustained public enlightenment must now be complemented by strong legal and enforcement frameworks to decisively end this deadly behaviour.

Issa-Onilu emphasised that this trend must not be allowed to continue, adding that Nigerians must collectively reject actions that repeatedly lead to mass casualties, national trauma, and avoidable loss of lives.

He reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to intensifying its value-reorientation and safety advocacy across the country.

“Human life is sacred and priceless. No situation, no (excuse, and no momentary gain should justify conduct that places lives in imminent danger,” said the Director – General.

Photo: People scooping the diesel

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA )and it’s sister agency – Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service , have averted the explosion of a 45,000 diesel tanker which upturned at Liverpool bridge outward Apapa, Tin Can Island, Lagos.

The tanker has been saved from secondary incident while security agents are doing their best to curtail the scooping crowd.

Watch the video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTsFWSXDoKB/?igsh=MTBsMzNhdmtuMzZrdw

Members of the public are urged to exercise EXTREME CAUTION to avoid any secondary incident from scooping product or lighting any flame near the area.

Motorists are advised to take alternative routes.

• Activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore

The Federal Government through the Department of State Services (DSS), has removed social media platforms X and Facebook from the list of defendants in its Cyberbullying case with the ‎‎activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, leaving Sowore as the sole defendant

In the case adjourned until 22 January for the commencement of trial, ‎‎Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the amended charges of cyberbullying Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, by referring to him as a “criminal” on X and Facebook.‎‎

At the resumed hearing of the case at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, counsel for the government, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, informed Justice Mohammed Umar of the two-count amended charge.‎‎

While government counsel expressed readiness to commence trial, with a witness present in court, defense counsel Abubakar Marshal opposed the move.

Marshal argued that the witness information and sworn statement were not attached to the charge.

He cited Section 36(6) of the Nigerian Constitution, which requires that witness depositions and names be frontloaded with the charges.‎‎

Countering this position, Kehinde SAN maintained that it would not serve the interest of fair hearing to adjourn the matter, noting that previous adjournments had been at the instance of the defendant.

He further argued that since the case is criminal rather than civil, only the list of witnesses and exhibits is required to be filed.‎‎

Justice Mohammed Umar, in his ruling, directed the prosecution to provide all relevant documents to the defense team.

In the charge sheet, the prosecution alleges that Sowore knowingly and intentionally disseminated false messages through his official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts.

In one post, he wrote:‎‎“This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”‎‎

The prosecution contends that by referring to the Nigerian President as a “criminal,” Sowore published a false statement intended to cause a breakdown of law and order, thereby posing a threat to life.‎‎

The charges carry a penalty of a minimum fine of Fifteen Million Naira (₦15,000,000.00) or imprisonment for a term of five years.