A tanker loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) exploded at Dikko Junction, along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway, on Saturday morning, resulting in loss of several lives, while others sustained various degrees of injuries from fire burns.

An eyewitness, who spoke with newsmen, said that the fire incident, also led to the destruction of vehicles, shops and residential buildings along the busy Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

The account said the petrol tanker was trying to maneuver through the busy Dikko Junction to avoid a bad portion of the road when it suddenly lost control and fell by the road side, while its content began to spill to the road.

According to the eyewitness account, “Not considering inherent consequences, people immediately gathered to catch a glimpse of the fallen tanker, including those that already armed themselves with different sizes and shapes of containers to scoop the content when suddenly they heard a loud bang and the entire area became dark with thick smoke that reduced visibility, thereby making it impossible for most of the victims to escape to safety.”

The Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has expressed shock over the petrol tanker explosion, which claimed several lives at Dikko Junction, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, which was made available to journalists on Saturday, Governor Bago described the explosion as “worrisome, heartbreaking and very unfortunate.”

However, Governor Bago, who  chided the victims for not being safety conscious when they saw the fallen tanker, sympathised with their families and prayed that Allah would repose the souls of the departed and also grant quick recovery to the injured.

He directed that security agents would be mobilised at the scene and mandated all the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to do the needful in order to protect further loss of lives and properties.