Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, conducted an extensive on-the-spot assessment of two major disaster sites on Monday, October 5, 2026, appealing directly to the Federal Government for urgent, large-scale intervention.
​The Governor’s inspection tour covered the scene of a fatal petroleum tanker explosion in Odukpani and a severe landslide along Anansa Street in the Calabar Municipality, highlighting the growing ecological and infrastructural pressures facing the coastal state.
​The first leg of the tour brought state officials to Odukpani, situated along the Calabar-Odukpani highway on the outskirts of the state capital. On Sunday morning, October 4, 2026, at approximately 9:00 AM, a tanker carrying over 45,000 litres of premium motor spirit lost control near a speed bump opposite the Odukpani Local Government Secretariat.
The vehicle overturned and spilled its highly flammable contents, triggering a massive explosion that swept through nearby shops, residential structures, and vehicles parked along the corridor.
​Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident, stating that emergency services and security personnel were dispatched immediately to secure the perimeter and extinguish the flames. At least one fatality was confirmed at the scene, with several others sustaining severe injuries and receiving medical treatment.
​Following the Odukpani inspection, Governor Otu visited Anansa Street (Diamond Hill) in Obutong Community, Calabar Municipality, where months of relentless seasonal rainfall culminated in a devastating collapse of the main arterial road.
The landslide eroded heavy soil embankments, exposed underground drainage structures, and left residential buildings hanging precariously along the edge of the ravine.
​Community leaders and local observers noted that the rapid deterioration of the terrain poses an existential threat to waterfront access and surrounding residential layouts unless stabilization works begin immediately.
State officials, including Deputy Governor Peter Odey and Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (CR-SEMA) Director-General Efa Nyong, previously visited affected communities to coordinate immediate relief measures, but emphasised that long-term remediation requires specialised engineering.
​Speaking during the tour, Governor Otu underscored that while Cross River State has deployed emergency containment strategies and financial assistance to affected families, the scale of environmental degradation across the state capital and surrounding transit corridors exceeds local capacity.
​The Governor called on federal ecological agencies, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Federal Ministry of Works to partner with the state government in executing permanent shoreline protection, gulley control, and highway restoration to prevent further loss of lives and property.
