Just two days after a tanker explosion in Niger State claimed the lives of over 90 people and left many others injured, residents in Bida town were seen gathering around another fallen truck.
The latest incident occurred on Monday, January 20, near AYM Shafa filling station. Videos circulating online showed people crowding around the broken-down truck. While some managed to scoop its contents, others were seen fleeing, possibly fearing another tragedy.
Eyewitnesses provided varying accounts of the truck’s cargo. A resident, Yinusa Jiya, told reporters, “The people were not even afraid despite earlier assumptions that it was petrol.” Another witness, Fatimah Mohammed, said the tanker was carrying groundnut oil, explaining, “It fell around AYM Shafa filling station yesterday (Monday) and residents stole huge amounts of the groundnut oil dripping from the tanker.”
This development comes in the wake of a deadly tanker explosion at Dikko Junction, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where at least 98 people lost their lives. The death toll has continued to rise as some of those who sustained severe injuries succumbed in hospitals.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that 86 victims were buried in a mass grave on Sunday. Others with first-degree burns are still receiving treatment in various hospitals.
Authorities have blamed citizens for the tragedy, citing the dangerous practice of fuel scooping as the cause of the explosion. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to intensify public awareness campaigns against the practice.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) expressed concern over the rising casualty figures and the severity of injuries sustained by the victims. Niger State has faced several tanker-related tragedies in recent years. On September 8, 2024, more than 50 travelers were killed in a midnight tanker explosion along the Agaie-Badeggi road.