2024: At least 411 Nigerians died while scooping fuel from tankers — FRSC

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has revealed that 411 Nigerians died in 2024 while attempting to scoop fuel from fallen tankers.

The Benue State Sector Commander, Mr Steve Ayodele, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Makurdi during a town hall meeting with trailer and tanker drivers on crash prevention.

He explained that the fatalities accounted for 7.6 per cent of all road traffic deaths recorded in 2024, stressing that the impact went beyond the number of lives lost.

The meeting, held under the theme “Discourage Fuel Scooping and Other Anti-Road Traffic Attitudes,” was convened to address practices that escalate accidents into major disasters.

“Tanker explosions often cause life-threatening burns and destroy shops, vehicles, and infrastructure, while also deepening the economic hardships of victims’ families.

“Fuel scooping and other anti-traffic behaviours were turning avoidable road accidents into major disasters.

“Tanker and trailer crashes often leave behind devastating consequences, worsening tragedies with unsafe conduct of people at crash sites.

“Fuel scooping, reckless driving, disobedience to traffic rules, and roadside trading near accident-prone areas are actions that put lives at risk.

“Fuel scooping has become one of the deadliest practices on Nigerian roads. Instead of recognising spilt fuel as a hazard, many Nigerians rush to collect it.

“We have witnessed tragic incidents where lives were lost due to fires caused by this reckless act,” Ayodele said.

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He further identified unregulated driving hours, overloaded tankers, and inadequate safety inspections as persistent causes of accidents, urging drivers, community leaders, and government agencies to take responsibility for changing attitudes and safeguarding lives.

Speaking at the event, Mr Babalola Sheba, Head of Operations at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), condemned fuel scooping, highlighting its environmental and health dangers. 

He noted that spills contaminate soil, water, and air, damage agriculture and aquatic life, and expose people to respiratory and skin problems.

Sheba disclosed that the agency had resolved to enforce the installation of anti-spill safety valves and speed limiters on petroleum tankers, alongside introducing a colour-coding system for fuel trucks. 

According to him, light blue represents petrol, deep yellow and light blue for diesel, deep yellow for kerosene, black for aviation fuel, and deep green for biofuels.

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