The death toll from the petrol tanker explosion at Dikko Junction in Niger State on Saturday has increased to 86, with 55 others injured and hospitalized.
Initially, the death toll was reported as 70, with 50 people wounded, but additional bodies have since been recovered, and all have been laid to rest in a mass burial.
Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), confirmed the updated figures in a statement on Sunday.
He explained that the mass burial took place between 5 p.m. and midnight, conducted by NSEMA in collaboration with Gurara Local Government Area (LGA) and a group of dedicated volunteers.
“A total of 86 people have been confirmed dead, with their remains recovered and buried. Eighty of the deceased were interred in a mass grave at the Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre, while five others were taken by their families for burial in the town. One victim passed away at the healthcare centre,” Baba-Arah stated.
The explosion occurred when a fuel tanker crashed on Saturday morning at Dikko Junction, which sits on the border between Niger and Kaduna states. As petrol spilt onto the road, several residents attempted to collect it. The tanker later exploded, igniting a massive blaze that claimed the lives of those gathering the fuel as well as several rescuers.
On Saturday, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago visited the explosion site and ordered a ban on vehicles travelling from the Maje axis from crossing the Dikko Bridge.
He expressed strong disapproval of reckless driving, emphasizing that vehicles from Maje must use the underpass and take the proper U-turn instead.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, confirmed the directive on Sunday. “The Niger State Government has directed that no vehicles coming from the Maje axis should be allowed to pass over the Dikko Bridge.
“Governor Mohammed Umar Bago issued this directive during his visit to the scene of the explosion at Dikko Junction in Gurara LGA,” Ibrahim stated. The governor also called for a detachment of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to be established in the area to enforce the new traffic measures.
Governor Bago also expressed his appreciation for the swift response of NSEMA, the Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the Union of Road Transport Workers in helping evacuate victims from the explosion.
He further announced that additional medical personnel from Minna hospitals would be redeployed to assist with the treatment of injured victims at the Suleja General Hospital.
