An unspecified number of people have been killed after tankers laden with petroleum products burst into flames on a section of the east-west road in Eleme, Rivers state.

The incident, which left travellers stranded for hours, occurred on Friday night.

Some of the victims of the multiple explosions were said to have been trapped in their vehicles as the blasts raged.

The cause of the explosions are not clear at the time of reporting. However, eyewitnesses have pointed to “dangerous driving and negligence”.

The Nation quoted Segun Owolabi, an eyewitness, as saying that one tanker collided with a vehicle before bursting into flames, leading to a domino effect.

“I saw four dead bodies burnt. Some may have been in the bushes because many ran away. I saw a whole stretch of vehicles burnt down, trailers burnt down,” Owolabi said.

“There seems to be a truck carrying substances and it was as if it had collided with another vehicle that may have ignited the fire. Over 20 vehicles burnt down and several people trapped.

“There may be more bodies. Oh my God this is a tragedy. A stretch of vehicles burnt.”

Another eyewitness said he heard a loud explosion from a petrochemical complex in the area.

“I heard a very loud sound about 20 minutes ago, and people were shouting,” he said.

“The sound came from the petrochemical company area. So when I came out I saw thick smoke with fire from a distance.”

The inferno reportedly raged for hours before it was put out by firefighters.

Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past to beat Wolves at Molineux and move back to the top of the Premier League.

Having blown their chance to leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side six days ago by losing at home to Aston Villa, then been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was a welcome triumph for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Leandro Trossard’s strike in the last minute of the opening period may not have been the most eye-catching of the Belgian’s career but it was perfectly timed.

It came at the end of a half where Arsenal seemed to have got stuck after a bright start and nearly fell behind to Gary O’Neil’s injury-ravaged side.

The visitors dominated the second half too but were unable to carve out the clear chances that would have allowed them to take the game out of reach.

Captain Martin Odegaard added the second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, turning in from a tight angle after his initial cross had been blocked.

The result means Arsenal are now a point clear of City, with a better goal difference but having played a game more.

They have the chance to apply some significant pressure to the defending champions when they entertain beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea on Tuesday.

Tired Wolves’ winless run continues
Wolves’ efforts were recognised positively by fans who stayed behind their team throughout – but when the season draws to a close, how much will they regret allowing Championship Coventry to overturn their injury-time lead in their FA Cup quarter-final at Molineux last month?

A Wembley semi-final this weekend would have lifted a season that has turned into a grind for O’Neil’s squad, who were superb for the first two-thirds of the campaign but now seem affected by a lack of energy and bodies.

Joao Gomes forced David Raya to push his angled first-half effort on to a post and substitute Mario Lemina tested the Arsenal keeper with a second-half shot.

But they were sporadic moments of attacking invention, with Wolves’ best performers being defenders, particularly captain Max Kilman and Toti, who were outstanding at the heart of the home side’s rearguard action.

On-loan Tommy Doyle was industrious for Wolves.

However, they have now gone six games without a win in all competitions, their longest run since the end of the 2021-22 season.

Chairman Jeff Shi has repeatedly stated the club did not bring in reinforcements during the January window because he was not prepared to risk breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. However, the feeling will linger that the decision cost Wolves and O’Neil a realistic shot at a top half finish.

Trossard strikes the crucial blow
Trossard has been in and out as an Arsenal player since joining from Brighton in a £21m deal in January 2023.

The Belgian has still made more substitute appearances than starts in the Premier League for the Gunners – and when things are not going well, he is an obvious candidate to be replaced.

Yet he scores key goals. Since the beginning of last month alone, he has provided a winner against Porto in the Champions League, an equaliser in the home leg of the quarter-final with Bayern Munich, and now his latest effort – which takes him to 14 for the season in all competitions. Only Bukayo Saka has scored more for the Gunners.

It was a scruffy effort, leaning back and on the stretch to get to Gabriel Jesus’ prodded pass. But it floated right into the top corner, out of goalkeeper Jose Sa’s reach. It changed the complexion of an evening that was starting to get a bit nervy for the visitors, who before that had allowed Wolves back into a game they had initially dominated.

At the end of a tough week, it was understandable Arsenal were not at their free-flowing best.

Still, they had chances. Kai Havertz swivelled neatly inside the area in both halves. However, on each occasion, the German sent his shot straight at Jose Sa.

Declan Rice had four opportunities, including a first-half shot he sent fizzing just wide and an injury-time effort that forced Sa into a decent save. Yet, for all his obvious qualities, the England midfielder is yet to improve his goals output, something he is certainly capable of.

It took Odegaard to finally finish Wolves off with a close-range effort in stoppage time.

1. No fewer than 18 persons are feared dead after gunmen struck on Friday morning in Tilengpan community of Mangu Local Government area of Plateau State. It was reported that 12 individuals were reportedly killed in Mangu villages, with an additional six persons murdered in four Bokkos communities, along with a university student last night.

2. President Bola Tinubu has appointed a new Board for the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC with immediate effect. According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the new board members bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the commission, which plays a vital role in developing and regulating Nigeria’s capital market.

3. President Bola Tinubu on Friday announced the appointment of a new board for the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM with immediate effect. This was contained in a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

4. The Nigerian Customs Service, Kebbi State Area Command, has intercepted goods, including 212 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice, worth over N126m. The goods according to the Customs Area Comptroller, Iheanacho Ojike, included 10,025 litres of petrol worth over N2m.

5. Two people were killed on Friday while one other was injured in an accident around the Idogo junction on Ilaro-Owode Yewa Road, Ogun State. This is just as the Ogun Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps threatened to begin a clampdown on motorists parking indiscriminately on the roads.

6. Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, has said Governor Usman Ododo did not help his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, beat security operatives who wanted to arrest him. Speaking in an interview with Channels TV, Fanwo, who also worked under Bello, said Ododo is committed to upholding the laws of the country, including respecting its legal processes.

7. The Nigerian Army, on Friday, released Prince Clement Ikolo Ogenerukevwe, the monarch arrested over the killing of 17 military personnel in Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

8. The Lagos State government on Friday, demolished illegal houses in Otto Ilogbo extension of Ebute Metta, Lagos, leaving hundreds homeless. It was gathered that four communities were affected by the demolition. They include Ifesowapo, Ifeoluwa, Toluwani and Ilaje Otumara Community Development Association, CDAs, sparking public outrage.

9. Road crashes that occurred on Thursday and Friday at Gaya Junction in Kano State and Tashar Yari in Kaduna State claimed the lives of 18 people, authorities have said. The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dauda Biu, has now condemned the use of substandard tyres and excessive speeding by drivers on Nigerian roads.

10. The Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Dr Adesola Kazeem Adedotun is to proceed on pre-retirement notice. He conveyed his decision to the Chairman of First Bank Hassan Odukale. He said in the letter that he would have retired from the bank in December but decided to proceed on pre-retirement leave effective April 20.