Jigawa police blame casualties in tanker explosion on desperate fuel scooping

The Jigawa State Police Command has attributed the high number of casualties and injuries from Tuesday’s tragic fuel tanker explosion in Majia, Taura Local Government Area, to locals’ desperate attempts to scoop fuel from the accident scene.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Lawan Shiisu, made this known in a voicemail sent to journalists on Wednesday. He explained that the victims had gathered to collect spilled fuel when the tanker ignited, leading to the devastating explosion that claimed 95 lives and injured over 50 others.

The authorities have urged the public to avoid accident scenes, particularly involving hazardous materials like fuel, to prevent such tragedies in the future.

He said, “Despite the efforts of the police, who had cordoned off the area and issued warnings to the public, people resisted and started scooping the fuel, triggering a devastating explosion.”

Shiisu added that the police struggled to keep control of the scene, with many bystanders ignoring warnings and moving dangerously close to the accident site.

“The tanker, loaded with petrol, ignited shortly after the crash, causing an inferno that engulfed numerous people in the vicinity.

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“The injured were immediately rushed to General Hospital at Ringim, where medical personnel are working around the clock to treat the victims. However, the death toll is likely to rise as several of the injured remain in critical condition,” he stated.

He said the state Police Commissioner, AT Abdullahi, has since condoled the residents of the state especially the people of Majiya town where the incident happened.

He also warned people to always stay away from such incident sites to avoid loss of lives and property.

He said, “When the accident occurred people started rushing to scoop fuel and in the process, fire ignited from nowhere which led to the death of many persons and injured many others.

He said following the inferno, 94 persons lost their lives on the spot while 50 others that injured were rushed to Ringim General Hospital where doctors are battling to save their lives