The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that seven people were killed and one injured following a tanker explosion in Karamin Rami village, Mashegu Local Government Area.
According to NSEMA’s Director General, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the incident occurred on March 4 at about 6:30 p.m. when a tanker truck, attempting to negotiate a poorly maintained road lacking shoulders, overturned. Its cargo of Premium Motor Spirit spilled into a nearby stream, which then mixed with water from a pump used by local farmers during the dry season. The resulting ignition led to a fire that spread back to the tanker, triggering a violent explosion.
The blaze not only claimed lives but also ravaged surrounding farmlands. The contaminated stream carried the burning fuel, setting fire to rice fields, fruit crops, and other vegetation. The victims have been identified as Rafiatu Sahabi, Ramlat Shehu, Rashida Abdullahi Raliya, Abdulrahman, Zainab Ahmed, Zuwaira Idrisu, and Maryam Nura. The sole injured, Maimuna Isah, is receiving treatment at the Saho Rami Primary Health Care Centre.
This tragic event highlights the vulnerabilities in infrastructure and the profound risks posed by inadequate road conditions in rural communities, where a single accident can have far-reaching consequences for lives and livelihoods.
