Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State has expressed deep sorrow over a devastating tanker explosion that claimed 35 lives and left 17 others hospitalised along the Bida/Agaie highway.
The tragedy occurred on Monday afternoon when a petrol tanker overturned in a lone accident near Essa village via Katcha at approximately 2.40 p.m.
The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed that residents from the surrounding area rushed to the scene to scoop the spilt petrol from the fallen tanker.
“Today, October 21, 2025, at about 2.40 p.m., a report was received from the DPO of Katcha Division that there was a lone tanker vehicle accident along the Bida/Agaie highway, and as a result, the tanker conveying PMS fell by the roadside,” Abiodun stated.
“Unfortunately, members of the public living around Essa village via Katcha rushed to the scene and were scooping PMS, and in the process, the tanker was suddenly engulfed in an inferno.”
The police spokesperson confirmed that 31 victims died at the scene, whilst 17 others sustained varying degrees of burns and are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Three motorcycles were also destroyed in the blaze.
“Sadly, forty-eight persons were affected by the fire, and among these victims, thirty-one persons lost their lives, while others are still receiving treatment in various nearby hospitals. Three motorcycles were also burnt,” he said.
Abiodun added that police teams and other security agencies were deployed to the scene for rescue operations, noting that investigation is ongoing to identify the driver and the tanker’s owner.
Governor Bago, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, on Tuesday evening, described the incident as “worrisome, unfortunate, and pathetic.”
The governor expressed his displeasure at the persistent habit of petrol scooping despite repeated warnings about its dangers.
“The farmer governor prays that Allah will repose the souls of those who died in the explosion and grant quick recovery to the injured,” Ibrahim stated.
“He says it is disheartening how people have continued to approach a fallen tanker to scoop its contents despite several sensitisation on the danger of such action. The farmer governor enjoins the people to value their lives no matter the situation.”
The latest disaster adds to Niger State’s grim record of tanker-related fatalities. In January 2025, no fewer than 70 persons were burnt to death whilst scooping petrol from a crashed tanker in the state.
A recent investigation revealed that more than 400 people have died in tanker explosions nationwide over the past year, prompting the Federal Government to launch a national awareness campaign on the dangers of petrol scooping.
