By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Malam Shehu Mohammed |
NIGER STATE, Nigeria – The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Malam Shehu Mohammed, has declared the tanker explosion that killed 35 people in Niger State a “needless national tragedy,” attributing the mass fatalities to the perilous and recurring practice of fuel scooping.
The fatal incident, which occurred on Tuesday, has once again cast a grim spotlight on one of Nigeria's most dangerous public safety crises. Malam Mohammed expressed his deep sorrow in a statement, describing the event as a painful reminder of the deadly consequences of ignoring safety protocols.
“This is not just a crash; it is a painful reminder that whenever people ignore safety advice and rush to scoop petrol, they gamble with their lives,” the Corps Marshal stated in the release signed by the FRSC spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Ogungbemide.
He pinpointed the root causes of the catastrophe as a toxic mix of "ignorance, greed, and disregard for safety warnings." The tragedy unfolded when a tanker was involved in an initial crash, after which locals rushed to the scene to scoop fuel. The highly volatile substance then ignited, leading to a massive explosion that claimed dozens of lives.
In a forceful condemnation, the FRSC boss warned that tampering with crashed tankers is a reckless action tantamount to "inviting death with open arms." He emphasized that the primary cause of the fatalities was not the initial road accident, but the subsequent and preventable rush to pilfer fuel.
Corps Marshal Mohammed recalled that a significant number of the high-fatality incidents recorded in 2024 have followed this same pattern. In many cases, the initial crashes resulted in no fatalities, only for mass casualties to occur moments later due to fuel scooping and the ensuing explosions.