ABUJA, 17 OCT – The death toll from the explosion of an oil tanker in the northern state of Nigeria, Jigawa, earlier this week exceeded 100 people, said the spokesperson of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, yesterday.
A statement issued yesterday afternoon by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s senior spokesperson, on behalf of Tinubu, described the overnight fire in Majiya, a town in Taura local government area of ​​Jigawa late on Tuesday as a ‘devastation’.
According to the statement, the Nigerian leader ordered a delegation of senior officials to convey condolences to the families of the victims, assess the situation at the scene of the incident and visit dozens of injured individuals in hospital. He also ordered emergency aid, including medical supplies, food and shelter, to be given to victims who are receiving treatment and those affected by the oil tank fire.
While assuring the people of the government’s commitment to immediately and comprehensively review oil transport safety protocols across the country, Tinubu also directed the road safety police to improve night travel safety measures, such as more frequent patrols, enforcement of stricter safety rules and safety mechanisms. other roads to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Earlier, the police confirmed that at least 90 people were killed and another 50 injured following the explosion. The victims were mostly individuals who rushed to the scene to collect oil after the oil tanker lost control and overturned, according to a police spokesperson to Xinhua.
A mass burial ceremony for the victims was held yesterday morning, said Shi’isu Lawan Adam, police spokesman in Jigawa. – Named
