Several Lives Lost As Deadly Explosion Hits Niger, Details Emerge
- Authorities in Niger have disclosed that at least seven people were killed and one person was critically injured in a petroleum tanker explosion that occurred on Tuesday, March 4, in the prominent northcentral state
- Legit.ng gathered that the fatal occurrence happened in Karami Rami, a village in Mashegu local government area (LGA)
- Fuel tanker explosions and accidents are common in Nigeria, often caused by the poor state of roads and badly maintained vehicles
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering metro.
Minna, Niger state - The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has disclosed that seven people were killed in a tanker explosion at Karamin Rami village in Mashegu local government area (LGA).
As reported by Vanguard, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, NSEMA’s director -general (DG), confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, March 7. One person was injured in the incident.
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Baba-Arah stated that the explosion occurred on Tuesday, March 4, at about 6:30 p.m. when a tanker truck, attempting to manoeuvre on a bad road without shoulders, overturned and spilt its fuel content into a nearby stream. He said the PMS came into contact with a water pump used by dry-season farmers on their rice fields, igniting a fire that spread back to the tanker, causing an explosion.
The NSEMA boss added that the inferno extended to farmlands through the contaminated stream water, burning some farmers and destroying rice fields, fruit crops, and vegetation.
Furthermore, Baba-Arah confirmed that an injured victim was receiving treatment at the Saho Rami Primary Health Care Centre.
Legit.ng reports that a government spokesperson said in February 2025 that 300 people had died from fuel tanker explosions in the four months from October 2024 to January 2025.
Nigeria has an aging 5,000-kilometer-long oil pipeline but most of the 50 million liters of gasoline consumed here daily are transported by roads to pumps.
Authorities have pledged to address the issue and enforce stricter regulations.
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Recently, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) banned 60,000-litre fuel tankers from operating on Nigerian roads.
The ban, which took effect from Saturday, March 1, 2025, would mitigate truck-in-transit incidents.
Ogbugo Ukoha, NMDPRA's executive director of distribution systems, storage, and retailing infrastructure, noted that the decision was made in response to the increasing number of road accidents involving heavy-duty petroleum tankers.
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Factory explosion injures several people in Ogun
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Ogun state police command launched an investigation into an explosion at Quantum Steel, located along the Sagamu-Ikorodu Road in Ogijo.
The incident left seven workers—including three expatriates—injured.
The blast was reported at the Ogijo police division by a staff member of the company, Joseph Adewale.
