The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed his heartfelt condolences following the tragic loss of lives in a fuel tanker explosion on Saturday at Dikko Junction along the Abuja-Kaduna highway in the Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.
NewsNGR reported earlier that the tanker, transporting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, lost control and caught fire, triggering an explosion that claimed numerous lives.
Many others sustained varying degrees of injuries, while nearby stores and properties were also damaged.
According to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), 80 victims were given a mass burial on Sunday at the premises of Dikko Primary Healthcare Center (PHC).
Additionally, five corpses were handed over to relatives for burial, while another victim succumbed to injuries after the mass burial, as confirmed by NSEMA Director-General, Abdullah Baba Arah.
Sanwo-Olu, who also serves as the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, extended his sympathies to his Niger State counterpart, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, as well as to the families and friends of the victims, and the people and government of Niger State.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu conveyed his prayers for the quick recovery of the injured and for strength to those affected by the tragedy.
He said: “It is with a heavy heart that I read and have followed the development of the disaster that happened yesterday (Saturday) at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna highway in the Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, following a tanker explosion that claimed many lives.
“The sad incident is worrisome, and the thoughts and prayers of my family, the government and the people of Lagos State are with my brother, Governor Mohammed Bago, the government, and citizens of Niger State over the tragic event.
“I offer our prayers for the victims and their families over the tragic loss, wishing the injured persons a speedy recovery.
“I also pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased. May God grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”