Barely days after a deadly tanker explosion claimed over 90 lives, residents of Bida in Niger State swarmed another fallen tanker on Monday, this time scooping groundnut oil from the wreckage.
Eyewitnesses reported that the tanker overturned near the AYM Shafa filling station, drawing crowds of locals who ignored the potential risks. Yinusa Jiya, a local resident, expressed shock at the scene: “The people were not even afraid despite the earlier assumption that it was petrol.”
Another witness, Fatimah Mohammed, clarified that the tanker carried groundnut oil, not fuel. “Residents stole huge amounts of the groundnut oil dripping from the tanker,” she said.
This incident follows Sunday’s catastrophic explosion near Dikko Junction in Niger State, where a tanker carrying fuel caught fire as people attempted to scoop its contents. The death toll from that explosion has risen to 98, with many victims succumbing to their injuries in hospitals.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) reported that 86 victims were buried in a mass grave, while survivors continue to receive treatment for severe burns.
In response to the recurring tragedies, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to intensify public awareness campaigns to discourage fuel scooping. Authorities attribute the high casualty rate in these incidents to the risky practice of approaching fallen tankers to collect spilled contents.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum has also expressed grave concern over the alarming loss of lives and injuries from such incidents. Niger State, in particular, has seen repeated occurrences of tanker-related tragedies, including a September 2024 explosion on the Agaie-Badeggi road that claimed more than 50 lives.
The recurrence of these incidents underscores the need for stronger public safety education and stricter enforcement of safety measures around fallen tankers. While Monday’s incident involved groundnut oil rather than fuel, it highlights a troubling disregard for the dangers associated with scooping spilled tanker contents.
