A catastrophic fuel tanker explosion in northern Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 people and left 50 others injured, according to police reports. The tragedy occurred in the town of Majia, Jigawa state, on Tuesday evening when the tanker veered off course in an attempt to avoid a collision with a truck.
In the aftermath of the accident, a desperate crowd of locals rushed to the overturned tanker to collect the spilled fuel that had leaked onto the road and into nearby drains. This frantic scramble for fuel—a highly sought-after resource in a nation grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades—turned deadly.
“We have confirmed 94 fatalities and around 50 injuries,” stated Lawan Shiisu Adam, a police spokesman, cautioning that the death toll may rise. He noted that officers were overwhelmed by the large number of people attempting to collect fuel, despite their warnings about the potential dangers.
The Nigerian Medical Association has urgently called for doctors to report to nearby emergency rooms to handle the influx of patients. This incident highlights the dire state of Nigeria’s fuel crisis, where petrol prices have surged fivefold since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lifted fuel subsidies last year, leading to chronic shortages. Last week, the state oil company further exacerbated the situation by raising prices for the second time in just over a month.
Fuel tanker explosions are tragically common in Nigeria, where road infrastructure is often poorly maintained and residents resort to desperate measures amid fuel scarcity. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) reported a staggering 1,531 tanker-related accidents in 2020 alone, resulting in 535 fatalities.
A similar tragedy occurred last month in northwestern Niger state, where a fuel tanker collided with a passenger and cattle truck, claiming at least 59 lives. The FRSC noted that road accidents resulted in over 5,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2023, a grim figure that contrasts sharply with the World Health Organization’s estimate of 40,000 annual road accident deaths in the country.
This latest disaster serves as a sobering reminder of the precarious situation in Nigeria, where poor road conditions, fuel shortages, and desperation can lead to devastating outcomes. The urgent need for improved road safety measures, a stable fuel supply, and effective crisis management strategies is evident to prevent future tragedies.