President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed sadness over the tragic death of at least 100 people following Tuesday night’s fruel tanker explosion in Jigawa State.
Also former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his profound grief over the tragic oil tanker explosion, which claimed many lives and left scores of others injured.
The victims were given mass burial on Wednesday, October 16 by the state government.
Grieving Tinubu dispatched a delegation to Dutse to sympathise with Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi over the Tuesday night’s tanker explosion.
Namadi who attended the funeral, later visited the injured at the Federal Medical Centre and promised to foot the bills.
He said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims during this painful time.
“We stand in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones and those injured in this tragic incident.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who sympathised with the state government and families of the victims, directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, to lead a delegation to the state.
The President also ordered that medical supplies, food, and shelter be extended to the 50 hospitalised persons.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement: “The President, with a heavy heart, joins the Vice-President (Kashim Shettima) in extending his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this devastating incident.
“He expresses his heartfelt prayers and support to the government and people of Jigawa during this time of tragic loss and grief.
“He prays for divine comfort for the bereaved families and the peaceful repose for the souls of the departed.
‘’President Tinubu reassures the nation that the Federal Government, in collaboration with states, is committed to the swift and comprehensive review of fuel transportation safety protocols across the country.”
Also, Buhari in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the incident as one of the deadliest tragedies in the country’s recent history.
The ex – President who extended his condolences to the victims’ families, also prayed for a swift recovery for the injured.
Buhari, in a condolence message by his Spokesman, Garba Shehu, prayed for those who lost loved ones and for the quick recovery of the injured.
“The oil tanker mishap is utterly painful. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost their dear ones. I pray that the injured recover quickly.”
The Daily Crucible reports that on Tuesday night, a tanker carrying PMS exploded in Jigawa State, Nigeria, after it overturned and caught fire, tragically burning no fewer than killing 105 people to death and injuring at least 90 others.
The tanker was heading to Nguru, Yobe State after departing from Kano and exploded after the driver lost control near a commercial bank in Majia, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State at about 11.30 pm.
The victims of the horrific incident included largely villagers who had surged to the scene, ostensibly to scoop fuel from the leaking truck tank before it bursted into a huge explosion. Locals scrambling to collect spilled PMS (petrol) are not strange phenomenon in Nigeria, where impoverished citizens risk their lives collecting spilled fuel from broken-down underground pipelines or crashed tankers with attendant dire consequences in the event of when ignitions.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer in Jigawa, Shiisu Lawan Adam, the explosion left 55 people with varying degrees of injuries, who are currently receiving treatment at Ringim General Hospital.
The spokesman Adam described the incident as a “horrific tragedy,” saying the explosion occurred while the villagers were scooping spilt fuel.
“The residents were scooping fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion occurred, sparking a massive inferno that killed 94 people on the spot.
“The incident also left another 50 people severely injured. They were rushed to Ringim and Hadejia General Hospitals for treatment,” Adam said.
