The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reported that the combined efforts of security personnel on Friday evening prevented a calamity in Kogi State as a result of a petrol tanker mishap.
Mr. Tenimu Etuku, FRSC Sector Commander in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja, the state capital, that the accident happened at the Crusher on the Felele Expressway at 5 p.m.
According to the sector commander, the truck carrying petrol was on its way to Abuja when the tank separated from the head and tumbled into a ditch.
“Nobody was hurt or killed in the accident. The tanker driver and his assistant escaped unhurt,” he said.
He disclosed that when the accident occurred, the FRSC patrol team quickly rushed to the scene and invited the police, National Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Mobile Police unit for security cover.
“The reason is to ensure that the community members do not gain access to the tanker and attempt to scoop the fuel to cause a fire outbreak.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in Niger and Jigawa states, where several people were lost to fire incidents while attempting to scoop fuel,” he said.
According to him, some people attempted to collect the fuel before his team arrived but were chased away.
Etuku stated that the area had been properly roped off by security personnel and some Crusher community leaders.
“The community leaders and the security agencies agreed to ensure that nobody is allowed to go into the ditch with the aim of scooping fuel,” he added.
The commander urged members of the Crusher community to resist the temptation to scoop the spilled fuel in order to prevent a fire tragedy that could result in a massive loss of life.
Earlier, Chronicle NG reported that no fewer than 45 lives were lost while 62 were severely injured in a tanker fire incident in Niger State.
The event occurred on Tuesday, when a tanker overturned in a lone accident at Essa hamlet on the Bida-Badegi-Agaie Road in the Katcha Local Government Area of the state.
Hussaini Isah, Head of Operations at the National Emergency Management Agency’s Minna Office, said in a statement on Friday that the tragedy was caused by the road’s poor condition.
According to NEMA, rescue operations were hampered by traffic congestion, bad road conditions, and a lack of network access to facilitate communication.
On Friday, Isah updated the fatality count, stating that 12 males, 27 females, and six children had died, while 24 males, 32 females, and seven children were injured.
Isah revealed that all of the victims were harmed while retrieving spilled petrol from the crashed tanker.
He claimed that 62 others are still in the hospital being treated for severe burns.
“Some of the victims were initially evacuated to Essa Primary Health Care and Idris Private Hospital but were later moved to Umaru Sanda General Hospital, Bida, and the Federal Medical Centre, Bida. Fourteen critically injured persons were referred to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital for further treatment.
“The additional 12 injured persons reported today were initially taken to their family houses for treatment but later returned to hospitals for better care,” Isah added.
