The recurring tanker explosions across Niger State have claimed at least 112 lives, with multi-billion-naira properties destroyed between January and March 2025. In the three months, data compiled by the Daily Trustrevealed seven tanker accidents have left many people injured and properties worth billions destroyed.
In March alone, Niger State witnessed three separate tanker explosions with one explosion in February and three others in January.
Daily Trust gathered that January witnessed one of the deadliest explosions when a petroleum tanker carrying 60,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) exploded at Dikko Junction, along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, killing 105 people, including passersby. The incident, which occurred on January 18, 2025, also saw many people sustaining injuries and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
Several reports indicated that the tanker’s body had detached from its head, causing it to overturn and spill its highly flammable contents. As news of the spillage spread, a large crowd, mostly scavengers, gathered to scoop fuel. Suddenly, the tanker ignited, triggering a massive explosion that engulfed the area in flames.
But the Dikko disaster was one among multiple explosions that would later happen between January and March.
Two days after the explosion, on January 20, another tanker exploded near Lapai, on the Lapai-Agaie road. Residents said the tanker exploded when it rammed into a stationary truck and went up in flames. However, no one died in the incident.
On January 27, another tanker fell and exploded at Kusogbogi, a village near Lapai, along Lapai-Agaie road. Though no life was lost, the explosion created panic in the area and millions of naira worth of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were lost.
Daily Trust reports that less than two weeks after that explosion, a gas tanker exploded at Sabon-Wuse, Tafa LGA, on February 8, during the trans-loading of gas at a gas station. Again, no life was lost in the incident, but properties, including a parked car and over 550 bags of beans and soybeans, were consumed by the fire.
The month of March witnessed three incidents in Niger State. The first occurred on March 4 at Karamin-Ramin in Mashegu LGA, claiming seven lives. Similarly, two separate explosions occurred on March 23 at AA Rano filling station in Kontagora, the headquarters of Kontagora LGA and another one on Badeggi-Agaie road. No casualties were recorded in the two incidents.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), while describing the January 18 tanker explosion as the deadliest in recent times, also recalled another tanker explosion which claimed 58 lives in September 2024.
The Director of Information and Special Duties, NSEMA, Dr Ibrahim Audu Hussaini, told Daily Trust that the September 8, 2024, tanker explosion on the Agaie-Bida road, near Man-Woro village, occurred when a petrol-laden tanker overturned and spilled petrol before exploding. The flames spread to a moving trailer, carrying cattle and human beings, and a passenger vehicle.
Our reporter gathered that the trailer, loaded with cows, had departed Wudil, Kano State, for Lagos, while the passenger vehicle was heading to Agaie market when both were consumed by the inferno.
Meanwhile, NSEMA said the tanker accidents and subsequent explosions since January to date were primarily caused by the poor state of roads, drivers’ recklessness, drug abuse, faulty tankers, overloading and fatigue.
Local drivers and community members, when contacted, corroborated this, blaming the incessant tanker explosions to accidents as a result of the deteriorating highways. Findings by Daily Trust revealed that public frustration appears to be growing due to the incessant tanker explosions in the state.
Mohammed Hassan, a resident of Lapai, expressed sadness over the tragedies and called for urgent action. “We must tackle the root causes—bad roads and safety negligence. I believe that these explosions are caused by recklessness on the part of the tanker drivers, who are not always patient on the road. Also, the failure of the government to fix our roads is another problem.
“So, the government has also contributed to the recurring tanker explosions as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Many others called for improved emergency response systems to prevent devastating incidents when tankers crash on the road.
Niger State, with the largest landmass of about 76,000 square kilometres, has the longest Federal Roads, stretching across the state. These roads include the Lambata-Bida, Suleja-Minna, Birnin Gwari to Jebba Road and Minna-Kontagora Road, with all of them in deplorable conditions for years.
The Lambata-Lapai-Agaie-Bida road, for instance, has for many years been under construction under the NNPC road project intervention. The road was first constructed by the civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in the 1980s and rehabilitated by the General Sani Abacha-led federal government under the Petroleum Trust Fund intervention project.
Similarly, the Birnin Gwari Road, the oldest in the state, has also been abandoned by motorists due to its deplorable condition and incessant banditry attacks on travellers.
As increasing tanker explosions put many on the edge, questions mount over road infrastructure, regulatory lapses, and the human toll. Dr Ibraihim Audu Hussaini, the Director of Information and Special Duties at NSEMA, called on the federal government to urgently repair and reconstruct the roads.
He also called for the creation of heavy-duty lanes, the installation of speed limiters on heavy-duty vehicles, and the monitoring of overloading and speeding by drivers.
“There is also the need to sensitise tanker drivers on the dangers of drug use and abuse while on the road,” he said, adding that “There should be periodic training of drivers on road safety regulations, and weighing equipment should be on our major roads to reduce overloading.” (Daily trust)
