The tragic incident took place at around 11:00 a.m. near Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida-Agaie road in Katcha Local Government Area.

Eyewitnesses reported that victims were attempting to scoop fuel from a fallen tanker when the vehicle suddenly exploded, triggering a massive fire that consumed several people. Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition, while the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Comrade Farouk Kawo, Chairman of the Niger State Tanker Drivers Association and National Ex-Officio of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, confirmed the tragedy, calling it “devastating and avoidable.”

He explained further that the tanker was transporting petroleum products from Lagos to northern Nigeria when it crashed. Kawo also pointed out that over 30 tanker accidents had occurred along the Bida-Agaie route in October alone, attributing the high number of incidents to the poor condition of the road.

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One of Kawo’s major concerns was the persistent behavior of some locals who, despite repeated warnings, rush to scoop fuel from tanker accidents. He highlighted a similar incident just days earlier, when a tanker carrying groundnut oil also crashed in the same area, and residents scrambled to collect the spilled product.

Efforts to contact Abdullahi Baba-Arah, Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, for comment were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered at the time of reporting.

In the wake of the disaster, Kawo has called on Governor Umaru Bago to urgently address the dilapidated state of the road to prevent further accidents and loss of life.

Source: Channels