The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, has prohibited heavy-duty trucks from using the Dikko Bridge in the wake of Saturday’s deadly tanker explosion.
When the governor inspected the explosion site, he ordered cars from the Maje axis to make a U-turn and pass beneath the bridge.
He thanked God that the unfortunate occurrence did not spread to the nearby towns and lamented the loss of lives, calling the incident pitiful.
Since the road project’s delay is contributing to the ongoing loss of many lives, Bago urged the Nigerian government to swiftly complete the Minna-Suleja route.
Governor Bago called on the pertinent transport unions to work with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and encouraged the corps’ Sector Commander to set up a detachment in the region to guarantee the directive’s enforcement.
The governor expressed gratitude to the fire department, FRSC, Union of Road Transport (NURT), Niger State Emergency Management Agency, and other organisations that helped with the victims’ evacuation.
According to him, medical professionals from Minna hospitals would be repurposed to help treat the injured patients who are presently being treated at Suleja General Hospital.
The tragic event, which has since left the town in grief and sparked questions about local safety protocols, claimed no fewer than 77 lives.
Twenty-five injured victims were taken to various hospitals in Suleja, Wuse, and surrounding medical facilities for immediate medical attention, according to the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, who confirmed the death toll to reporters.
This is not the first tanker explosion to occur in the country’s northern region in recent memory. A comparable tragedy in Jigawa State in October claimed the lives of over 170 individuals.
Over 535 people lost their lives in 1,531 fuel tanker incidents reported by the FRSC in 2020.
