The Niger, Enugu tanker fires

FOLLOWING the Saturday, December 18 tanker explosion that rocked Niger State, there was a harvest of deaths and grievous injuries. The incident occurred when a speeding fuel tanker crashed into the concrete pavement dividing the expressway at the Dikko Junction near Suleja, tumbled and spilt its content on the tarred road. As residents rushed to scoop free fuel, the tanker caught fire, and a catastrophic explosion that immediately claimed at least 77 lives ensued. In a statement released on Monday, December 20, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said: “The latest figure is now 98 deaths, 69 injured, and 20 shops burnt down.” As the casualty figures rose, community leaders in Dikko, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, disclosed that over 100 victims had been buried in a mass grave while about 88 others who suffered varying degrees of burns were still on admission in different hospitals in the state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The community leaders led by Alhaji Garba Yusuf Tagwai and Mrs Rifkatu Adamu Chidawa, both ex -ex-commissioners in the state, lamented that properties worth colossal sums of money were also destroyed in the fire. According to Tagwai, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, there was hardly any household in Dikko village that was not affected by the incident. Some households, he said, lost four or three people. A particular family lost two siblings and other relations. On her part, Chidawa, a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, blamed the incident on the bad condition of the road and the fact that the tragic incident occurred on a market day with a large number of people in the area. In the aftermath of the incident, the Niger State government announced its decision to bear the cost of the treatment of all the injured victims. On its part, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) distributed food, non-food items and medical supplies to the injured victims and the affected families.

In Enugu, Enugu State, a week after the Niger tragedy, another petrol tanker explosion occurred at the Ugwu Onyeama section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, leaving death and destruction in its trail. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the tanker laden with petrol lost control, rammed 17 vehicles, and burst into flames. Spokesperson of the FRSC, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said: “A total of 31 people were involved in the crash, 10 were rescued with different degrees of injuries, while three got rescued unharmed. Unfortunately, the 18 remaining victims were burnt beyond recognition. ” He added that Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, his transport commissioner, and the State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, took part in the rescue operation. According to the Director of the Enugu State Fire Service,  Chief Okwudili Ohaa, the fire lasted over an hour before firefighters from the service managed to extinguish it. Sadly, a man from Ebonyi State who was traveling home from Anambra State for his father’s burial reportedly lost his life in the incident, as did his family members, including his wife, six children, younger brother, maid and apprentice.

Following the Niger and Enugu incidents, President Bola Tinubu directed the FRSC and agencies in charge of enforcing traffic rules to implement measures to prevent recurring petrol tanker explosions in the country. A statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said: “The president calls for caution and adherence to safety measures among road users, particularly fuel tanker operators. Furthermore, he directs agencies in charge of enforcing traffic rules to implement measures to prevent recurring petrol tanker explosions nationwide.”

Time and again, we have bemoaned the loss of lives through tanker fires, urging the authorities to stop the practice of transporting fuel through this accident-prone means. It is a fact that many of the fuel tankers on the road are in faulty conditions, and that the drivers drive recklessly under the influence of banned substances, causing carnage on the roads. And because poverty tends to predispose people to irrationality, lives get lost as residents of areas where fuel trucks have tumbled engage in a mad rush to scoop fuel. In October 2024, more than 209 people were killed and 124 injured after a tanker exploded in Majiya, Jigawa State. The tanker tumbled while attempting to avoid crashing into a truck, causing petrol to spill on the road. Predictably, villagers stormed the scene to scoop up the spilt petrol, and then perished in the ensuing inferno. Similar scenes are bound to play out across the country unless concrete steps are taken by the authorities to arrest the trend.

Lax enforcement of traffic rules can only result in predictable tragedies. For instance, in the aftermath of the Dikko incident, the Niger State governor said: “It is unacceptable for any vehicle coming from Maje to pass through the bridge. Rather, they should pass under the bridge and make a U-turn appropriately.” He enjoined the FRSC sector commander in the state to establish a detachment in the area to ensure the enforcement of the directive, while calling on all relevant transport unions to cooperate with the agency. It is a no-brainer that strict enforcement of traffic rules will save lives, and the FRSC and other agencies must shelve their accustomed lethargy, avoid seeing the roads as money-making bus stops, and stop their focus on generating revenue for the government instead of enhancing smooth flow of traffic.

We urge the government to heighten enlightenment campaigns on the dangers of scooping fuel from falling tankers. To begin with, it is a criminal, opportunistic act. The practice is fraught with dangers and should be discontinued forthwith. People call on others to come and scoop free fuel, but oftentimes it is an open invitation to death. Then, the government must stop the transport of fuel by road. It should work towards rail transport in this regard. Above all, however, it must address poverty decisively and cure people of the self-debasement that scooping fuel from fallen tankers represents.

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