Local government officials gathered alongside hundreds of mourners in northern Nigeria on Wednesday for the mass burial of over 140 victims of a deadly tanker explosion.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning in Majiya town, Jigawa State, when a gasoline tanker overturned and exploded as residents rushed to collect leaking fuel. The blast claimed the lives of more than 140 people, including children, and left many others injured.
Emergency services reported that the explosion caused extensive devastation, with many victims’ bodies left unidentifiable.
Lagos residents linked the tragic event to the worsening economic hardship and hunger across the country, which they believe drove people to risk their lives in search of fuel.
“I blame both we the people, I also blame government because if the government is doing the right thing to ensure that the welfare of citizens are priority to them, all this will not happen”, said civil servant Emenike Okpaga in Lagos.
“No one in their right senses would go around scooping fuel but for hunger,” added software engineer Emmanuel Isaac.
“When that person sees an opportunity to make money from scooping fuel, they will take that chance,” he explained.
“I think we need to do better as a community, we need to do better as a nation, people cannot just continue to live a life of hunger.”
Deadly tanker accidents are frequent in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, where traffic laws are often poorly enforced and there is a lack of an efficient railway system for cargo transport.
Fuel scavenging, where people collect spilled fuel using cups and buckets, has also become increasingly common after such incidents. This dangerous practice has surged due to skyrocketing fuel prices, which have tripled since the government removed expensive fuel subsidies last year.
