Former President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives due to a petroleum tanker explosion at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna highway in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Buhari’s message of condolences came as the death toll from the petrol tanker carnage at Dikko Junction, climbed to 86, while 55 people were alao injured and taken to hospital.
As of Saturday, The Daily Crucible reported that death toll was put at 70, with over 50 injured.
A good number of the charred corpses have since been recovered, and all have been given a mass burial in Dikko, Niger State.
The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed this on Sunday in a statement released to the media.
Baba – Arah stated that the agency, alongside Gurara Local Government Area and courageous, kind-hearted volunteers, conducted the mass burial between 5 pm and midnight.
“A total of 86 persons have been confirmed dead, with their corpses recovered and buried.
“Eighty of them were buried in a mass grave at Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre premises, while five were taken by their relatives for burial in the town, and one died at Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre.
“The mass burial was carried out by NSEMA in collaboration with Gurara LGA and courageous volunteers between the hours of 5pm and midnight.
“The number of injured now stands at 55, with one death recorded at Dikko PHC,” Baba-Arah stated.
However, Buhari in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, on Sunday, extended his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Niger State over the pathetic incident.
The former president lamented the increasing practice of scooping fuel from tanker spills despite repeated warnings from authorities and many past occurrences about its dangers.
“Former President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in a fire following another petroleum tanker accident that occurred on Saturday at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna highway in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.
“He expressed disappointment that the practice of scooping up fuel is becoming more common in spite of warnings from the authorities and the devastating losses of life that had characteristically attended such incidents.
“In condoling with the government and the people of Niger State, the former president wished speedy recovery to those injured,” he stated.
The Daily Crucible reports that a speeding fuel tanker crashed on Saturday around 9AM at Dikko Junction between Niger and Kaduna states and while trying to transfer the petroleum product from the fallen tanker to another, a huge explosion occurred, setting off balls of flame that engulfed people attempting to scoop fuel from the spill.
