•Tanker explosion
Eighty six of the victims of the Saturday’s fuel tanker explosion in Dikko, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, have been buried, the State Emergency Management Agency disclosed yesterday.
The Director-General of the agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said the mass burial, conducted in collaboration with Gurara LGA and local volunteers, took place between 5 p.m. and midnight at the Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre, reports Daily Trust.
He said while most of the bodies were interred in a mass grave, five were taken by relatives for burial in their hometowns, and one person passed away at the healthcare facility.
The explosion occurred after a fuel tanker crashed at Dikko Junction, a major route between Niger and Kaduna states.
As residents attempted to scoop fuel from the spill, a massive blaze erupted, claiming the lives of many, including those trying to assist the victims.
Travellers and passersby were also caught up in the inferno; just as many businesses operating around the area also perished.
Narrating the incident to our correspondent yesterday, a resident, who gave his name as Yerima, said: “Security operatives tried their best to stop people from scooping the fuel but they didn’t listen. One of the boys even brought out a knife to stab a police officer who wanted to stop him from scooping fuel.”
The roads around Dikko, particularly the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, are heavily trafficked. The dilapidated condition of the roads has exacerbated the risk of accidents, as many drivers avoid the more insecure Kaduna-Birnin Gwari route.
Families, survivors recount harrowing tales
When our correspondents visited the Suleja General Hospital yesterday, 43 victims were in a critical condition, with four confirmed dead.
Many relatives were seen move from one place to another in search of their loved ones.
Sources also told our correspondent that some of the injured were referred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, while others were referred from Sabon Wuse General Hospital.
A victim, Mohammed Shehu, said he was in his roadside kiosk when the fire engulfed his shop and burnt him.
‘I lost 3 brothers’
Bashir Usman, a resident of Dikko, said he lost his three brothers, Musa, Ka’ab and Ibrahim and three of his shops with goods worth millions of naira.
Another trader, Abubakar Jibril, a resident of Maje town, said he lost seven shops with goods worth millions of naira, including 100 bags of maize, bags of maize flour, grinding machines and ice block refrigerators.
“What I lost worth N20 million. My fellow traders also lost 10 of their shops. We lost three of our fellow traders,” he said.
‘I lost 6 relatives, friends’
Another resident of the area, Adamu Ahmed, said he lost six of his relatives, associates and friends to the inferno.
Yusuf Maidawa, along with his wife Mariyama and younger brother, had just disembarked from a vehicle that had brought them from Minna. They were about to board another vehicle to Kano, from where they would continue their journey to Mai-Gatari in Jigawa State before crossing into Niger Republic, their home country. Unfortunately, both Yusuf and his younger brother became victims of the explosion while attempting to buy drinks.
Among those hospitalised were four tanker drivers—Hassan Bukar, Mohammed Umar, Mustapha Gado and Abba Umar—who had gone to assist a colleague by transferring fuel from a fallen tanker to another. All four sustained 100 per cent burns, according to hospital officials.
Also, two motor boys and a tanker mechanic, Alhaji Shehu, tragically lost their lives while helping with the fuel transfer.
Dr Adedokun Adebayo Adekunle, Medical Director, Suleja General Hospital, said some of the victims would require transfer to specialised facilities because of the severity of their imjuries.
He said, “As of yesterday (Saturday), around 3-4 pm, we had 44 of the victims brought to our hospital. Fortunately for us, we had to call for more help, calling some of our doctors who were not on duty.
“Three of our wards, the accident and emergency wards were occupied. We also had to convert the main medical ward to accommodate them. So, we have 43 victims and all of them were males, including children. Some of them were between the ages of 10 and 13 years.
“We also heard that some victims were also taken to traditional treatment centres to drive away the fire spirit. So, around 4-5 pm, those ones were brought back to hospital again. It was those ones that were brought later that we lost because of the fluid that they lost as a result of burns.”
Tinubu, Buhari, JNI, CAN harp on safety protocols
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, governors and other prominent Nigerians yesterday urged citizens to always observe safety protocols at scenes of accidents to avoid tragedies.
The president, in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, advised all citizens to exercise caution and avoid approaching accident sites, especially those involving fuel-laden vehicles, due to their highly explosive nature.
He directed the National Orientation Agency to immediately kick-start a campaign against the dangers of scooping fuel from a falling tanker.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum asked Nigerians to act with extreme caution and absolute respect for life at all times, especially in times of grave danger such as during petrol spill”.
Its chairman and governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, while speaking when he visited the scene of the incident, expressed sadness over the “quantum of casualties and magnitude of burns” suffered by the victims of the tanker explosion.
The chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, in a statement by his spokesman, Ismaila Misilli, asked relevant authorities and stakeholders in the transportation and petroleum industries to reinforce stricter safety measures in the transportation of flammable materials, to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who expressed his heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in the fire, further voiced disappointment that the practice of scooping up fuel was becoming more common in spite of warnings from the authorities and the devastating losses of life that had characteristically attended such incidents.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on his X handle, called for stricter safety measures to address the dangers of tanker explosions and similar incidents.
Tanker accidents killed 265 in 4 months – FG
The federal government yesterday set up a committee to take care of the hospital bills and welfare of injured victims as well as families of dead victims of the tanker explosion.
Members of the committee include the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Standard Organization of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Petroleum Tanker Driver Association amongst others.
Speaking yesterday in Dikko when he visited the scene of the incident, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said President Tinubu had set up the committee to look at the causes of the recurrent disasters and proffer ways to put an end to them.
He said the president had directed that all victims be moved to National Hospital, Abuja, and other tertiary hospitals that would provide intensive care for the injured victims.
At the Suleja General Hospital where the victims were taken to, Idris said eight injured victims died on Sunday while receiving treatment.
He said it was unfortunate that such a tanker explosion had occurred four times since September 2024 and had killed a total of 265 people.
Earlier, the Emir of Suleja urged Nigerians to avoid greed so that they would not put themselves in danger.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered all the Commissioners of Police across the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to strengthen their Motor Traffic Divisions.
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, urged tanker operators to always adhere strictly to safety standards and observe due protocols in transloading fuel products.
JNI seeks review of safety protocols
The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), in a statement by its Secretary General, Professor Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, urged the federal government to review the safety protocols guiding transportation in Nigeria.
NUPENG urges FG to repair bad roads
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), in a statement signed by President Williams Akporeha and General Secretary Olawale Afolabi, urged the federal government to repair dilapidated federal roads to avoid frequent accidents.
It also urged the authorities to provide medical care for the victims and implement preventive measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
Past tanker tragedies
A data analysis by this paper showed that tanker explosions has claimed 663 lives and injured 450 others across Nigeria since 2020.
At least 97 persons died and 112 others were injured in 25 tanker explosions that occurred between January 14 and December 29, 2020.
In 2021, a total of 79 people died and 240 others were injured in 21 reported incidents from January 7 to November 27.
In 2022, a total of 85 deaths and 21 injuries were recorded in 16 incidents, the number of injuries dropped to 21.
In 2023, four tanker tragedies recorded claimed 27 lives.
Last year, 289 deaths and 111 injuries were recorded in eight incidents. The one that occurred in Majia Town, Jigawa State, on October 16, claimed 181 lives and injured 80 others.
