MAJIYA: An explosion tore through crowds of people who had rushed to collect fuel spilling from a crashed tanker in northern Nigeria, killing at least 147, officials said on Wednesday.

The tragedy is the latest such accident at a time when petrol has become a precious commodity in the country, which is suffering its worst economic crisis in a generation.

The fuel tanker veered to avoid another vehicle and crashed in the town of Majiya, Jigawa state late on Tuesday, police said. Following the crash, residents crowded round the overturned tanker to gather the leaking fuel.

Student Sanusi Lawan told AFP he had heard “shouts of joy” and rushed to join hundreds of people scooping up the fuel with buckets.

Dozens burnt beyond recognition, bodies buried in mass grave

The 21-year-old had taken his bucket home and his brother had persuaded him not to return for more, when they heard “a huge explosion and cries of pain and fright”.

“We rushed to the place and it was a scene of horror,” Lawan said. “People were running while on fire and shouting for help. Had I not listened to my brother’s advice, I would have been among the dead.”

The national emergency agency said 147 people had died. Local government chairman Hambali Zarga said this figure only accounted for bodies buried in one mass grave, and warned the toll was likely to rise.

Dozens of victims were “burnt beyond recognition,” he told AFP at the graveside.

He said more bodies had been buried elsewhere, while around 140 injured residents were being treated in nearby hospitals.

The Nigerian Medical Association has urged doctors to rush to emergency rooms to help with the influx of patients.

In the capital Abuja, Nigerian lawmakers observed a minute of silence in the Senate.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledged to support those affected and said he was “committed to the swift and comprehensive review of fuel transportation safety protocols across the country”.

‘Fuel is gold’

Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa’s most populous nation, where roads can be poorly maintained. Since Tinubu scrapped subsidies last year, the price of petrol has soared fivefold and there are often shortages.

Desperation rose further last week after the state oil company hiked prices for the second time in just over a month.

“Everybody knows about the risk involved in scooping fuel when a tanker crashes but the level of poverty is too much to resist the temptation,” student Lawan told AFP at the scene. “Fuel is now gold” amid the economic crisis, he said.

Police spokesman Lawan Shiisu Adam said the crowd had “overwhelmed” officers trying to stop them, a claim supported by eyewitnesses.

“There is pervasive poverty in the country and people will do anything to get what (they need) to eat,” said Buhari Ali, a 30-year-old civil servant who took part in the mass burial. “People are hungry and they could not afford to miss such a rare opportunity.”

Accidents involving tankers are frequent in the country, with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) recording 1,531 in 2020, causing 535 deaths.

Last month, at least 59 people died when a fuel tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle in northwestern Niger state.

The FRSC said more than 5,000 people died in road accidents in Nigeria in 2023, compared to nearly 6,500 the previous year.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024