Fuel Tanker Explosion Death Toll In Niger Rises To 42 As Governor Orders Evacuation Of Victims To Gwagwalada Hospital

The death toll from Tuesday’s fuel tanker explosion at Essan community in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State has climbed to 42, while 52 others sustained various degrees of injuries.

According to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), 13 of the injured victims are in critical condition. The agency’s Public Relations Officer, Mallam Husseini Mohammed, confirmed the figures in a telephone interview with The Sun in Minna on Wednesday.

He said Governor Umar Mohammed Bago had ordered the immediate evacuation of 13 critically injured victims to the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital for advanced treatment, while 26 others are receiving care at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Bida.

“Those with minor injuries are being treated at home by their relations,” Husseini added, noting that clearance operations were still ongoing at the explosion site.

The accident, which occurred along the Bida–Agaie–Lapai–Lambata Road, has once again drawn attention to the deplorable state of the 70-kilometre stretch of the highway. The road, originally awarded under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in 2018, was abandoned after the completion of the Lambata–Lapai section.

Residents say the neglected portion has become a “death trap” for motorists, particularly fuel tankers and articulated vehicles, leading to repeated accidents and loss of lives.

In a statement issued in Minna, Comrade Usman U. Patagi, speaking for the Essan community, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and complete the project.

“The neglect of this road has claimed over 80 lives in the last six months alone,” the statement read. “Painfully, 90 per cent of the victims are from Essan Village in Katcha Local Government — a once peaceful and hardworking community now covered in tears and mourning.”

The community lamented that traders, students, and commuters risk their lives daily on the dangerous route, urging the federal government to act swiftly before more lives are lost.