A Petrol Tanker Explosion in Nigeria has Claimed 170 Lives

More than 170 people have been killed in a petrol tanker explosion in northern Nigeria, and another 70 are in critical condition at a hospital, authorities reported on Friday.

In the town of Majiya in Jigawa state, late Tuesday, a bomb ripped through crowds that had hurried to gather petrol flowing from a fallen tanker.

The dead toll now stands at 170. “At the Federal Medical Centres in Azare, Nguru, and Birnin Kudu, 70 people were receiving intensive care,” stated Deputy Superintendent of Police Lawan Shiisu Adam, the spokesperson. He noted that victims were receiving treatment for their injuries at other facilities. The catastrophe is the most recent of its kind to occur in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, at a time when petrol has become a valuable commodity.

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu entered office in May 2023, the price of petrol has increased more than fivefold, making it difficult for many people to obtain it.

For months, inflation has been above 30 percent; it peaked in June at 34.19 percent, which is nearly three decades high, and then fell to 32.7 percent in September. According to a World Bank report released Thursday, 56 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line, up from 40 per cent in 2018.