The ever busy, hustling and bustling town of Dikko situated along the Abuja-Kaduna highway in Niger State, was on Saturday, January 18, 2025, shattered as a petrol tanker which fell later went into flames.
It was gathered that the tanker shortly after its fall, petrol started spilling from it, a development that encouraged some persons to take advantage of the free petrol pouring on the gutter and started scooping the spilled fuel.
An eye witness account said that as a result of the scooping, some persons that included a pregnant woman, and another carrying a week-old child were caught in the inferno from the fire and completely burnt to death.
A traveller to Minna, the Niger State capital who witnessed the unfortunate development, said at least 30 persons lost their lives as a result of the petrol tanker explosion.
The Federal Road Safety Commission that were involved in the rescue mission said that over 50 bodies were recovered from the scene of the explosion.
This was just as it was gathered that even though the officials of the Niger State Fire service responded in good time and tried to put the fire under control, the fire from the petrol which poured from the tanker had already done so much damage.
However, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Dikko junction branch who said he witnessed the unfortunate incident and also participated in the rescue team at the scene of the accident, said the casualty figure should be far higher than 50 persons.
However, an eyewitness said; “While it is true that I saw the bodies of some of the victims, I cannot tell the actual number fatalities.
“I do know that among the deceased were a pregnant woman and some children who were seen scooping petrol while some people were shouting and advising them to leave there for their own good,” the witness said.
