In a tragic incident, at least 94 people were killed and several others injured following a fuel tanker explosion triggered by an accident in Nigeria’s Jigawa state. The explosion occurred shortly after midnight when the tanker driver lost control on a highway near a university, according to police spokesperson Lawan Adam.
Residents had begun scooping fuel from the overturned tanker when the blast erupted, igniting a massive fire that resulted in numerous fatalities on the spot. This incident comes just a month after another fuel tanker collision in Nigeria, which killed at least 48 people after a head-on crash with another truck.
In that previous incident, the tanker was transporting cattle, with approximately 50 animals burned alive in the Agaie area of Niger state. The high number of fatal truck accidents in Nigeria is largely attributed to the lack of an efficient railway system for cargo transport. In 2020, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps reported 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes, leading to 535 deaths and over 1,100 injuries.
Adding to the country’s woes, at least 100 villagers were killed recently in northeastern Nigeria when suspected Boko Haram militants opened fire on a market and homes. This violent attack occurred as more than 50 extremists on motorcycles stormed the Tarmuwa council area in Yobe state. Boko Haram has waged an insurgency since 2009, seeking to impose its radical interpretation of Islamic law, resulting in over 35,000 deaths and displacing more than 2 million people, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis.