AfriPulse
October 26, (THEWILL) — In 2025, hundreds of Nigerians have died in two deadly petrol tanker explosions in Niger State alone. The first incident happened on January 18, 2025, when a fuel tanker carrying 60,000 litres of petrol overturned on Dikko Junction, near Suleja in the north-central state. After the crash, citizens gathered to scoop spilled fuel.
In the ensuing explosion, 100 reportedly died and 65 were left with varying degrees of injuries. Almost at the close of the year, another deadly fuel tanker explosion occurred on October 23, 2025, again in the state.
The explosion which occurred at Essa village along the Bida–Agaie–Lapai–Lambata–Diko Road, a major federal highway linking Niger State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country, has claimed many lives. Many of the victims were involved in scooping fuel spilled from the crashed tanker. Beside the deaths, shops, houses and businesses in the environment were destroyed.
According to the Director of Information and Linkages of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, Dr Ibrahim Hussaini, the death toll has now increased to 57, while 52 victims are currently receiving treatment in different hospitals. He had explained that the 57 fatalities comprised men, women and children.
Amazingly, the reactions from appointed and elected government officials have followed the same pattern often witnessed with accidents of similar nature in the past. Expressions of sympathy with the bereaved, offer of money to survivors and call on the government to fix bad roads, enforce safety standards and pursue urgent public awareness campaigns on the danger of scooping fuel from crashed tankers loaded with fuel.
Unfortunately, the danger had been lurking in the same Essa Village for everyone to see and yet no sufficient attention was paid to the warning signals by the relevant agencies and authorities.
According to the Chairman of the Niger State Tanker Drivers Association and National ex-Official of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Comrade Farouk Kawo, the Essa tragedy has been waiting to happen.
Kawo lamented that more than 30 tanker accidents had been recorded along the Bida–Agaie route in October alone. He blamed the high rate of crashes on the deplorable state of the road. He also expressed concern over the recurring practice by some youths who rush to scoop fuel from accident scenes despite repeated warnings.
The Sunday before the disaster, he added, a tanker carrying groundnut oil also crashed in the same area, and residents rushed to scoop the product. If these accidents were not enough warning signs of a coming disaster, we wonder what it was. Yet no proactive measures were taken by the authorities.
The point is that given the perfunctory operations of many government agencies, the repeated crashes of tankers on the Bida–Agaie–Lapai–Lambata–Diko deplorable road, was enough sign for extra measures to have been taken by different road and emergency management agencies, pending the reconstruction of the road, which is a major federal highway linking Niger State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country.
Indeed, Dr Hussaini of NASEMA said the road serves as a critical corridor for the transportation of petroleum products, agricultural commodities and other goods.
While we support the call for more public enlightenment campaign on the dangers of scooping fuel from cashed tankers, we are of the opinion that many of the tragedies can be avoided by more vigilance on the part of the relevant agencies. Bad roads which are usually sport for accidents should be policed regularly. Carelessly latched tankers should be inspected at their point of departure at loading farms and first responders should be properly mobilised and empowered to do their job.
Only proactive actions can stop the wringing of hands at avoidable accidents that claim lives and destroy properties in their millions.
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Source: TheWillNigeria | Read the Full Story…
