Over 1,500 killed by tanker explosions alone in five years — NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that tanker explosions alone have accounted for over 1,500 deaths, while many other fatalities have been linked to fire disasters in the country.

NEMA Deputy Director, Zakari Abubakar, who spoke in Lokoja on Thursday at a one-day public awareness programme on tanker explosions and fire disasters organised by the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA), specifically warned against scooping fuel from fallen tankers, stating that the act has caused more damage than benefit.

He called for precautionary actions against tanker accidents and fire disasters in Kogi and the country at large.

“Today’s gathering is borne out of NEMA’s determination to, in collaboration with critical stakeholders, strengthen the disaster management framework with a view to enhancing a culture of preparedness and community resilience to disasters in the country. This sensitisation is one of the numerous efforts of the National Emergency Management Agency that seek to address Nigeria’s vulnerability to fuel tanker-related accidents—through early action, risk awareness, and coordinated response planning at federal, state, LGA and community levels.

“Fuel tanker explosions and accidents have taken a toll in Nigeria, often caused by a multiplicity of factors ranging from the poor state of roads, badly maintained vehicles to recklessness on the part of drivers. Statistics reveal that from January 2009 to October 2024, over one hundred tanker accidents leading to more than 1,500 deaths were recorded.

“More recently, in Niger State, a tanker accident led to the death of more than 80 persons with dozens severely injured.

“In Agbor, Delta State, five persons were killed in January 2025 when a tanker exploded after losing control, and in Jigawa State, a tanker explosion in October 2024 killed more than 150 persons.

“Considering the multifactorial causes of tanker accidents—including incompetent drivers, bad roads, on-street parking, overloading, brake failure, scooping fuel from fallen tankers, and fuel stations located within residential areas—urgent steps must be taken to avert or mitigate the impact of future occurrences.

“This programme will unravel the common causes of tanker accidents and emphasise effective prevention, preparedness and response strategies.

“I must reiterate that the culture of fuel scooping from fallen tankers should be strongly condemned.”

The Executive Secretary of Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Mouktar Atimah, said the state would continue to be responsive to disaster issues.

He said machinery was in place to ensure continuous sensitisation on fire disasters and tanker explosions, adding that the state has mapped out areas prone to such occurrences.

“We have formed the basis for awareness creation across local government and community levels. We have marked the start of a robust media engagement strategy and public sensitisation to reengineer existing disaster management.”

The KOSEMA boss urged participants to actively participate in the technical session in order to gain insight into achieving seamless inter-agency service delivery in disaster management.

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