The National Emergency Management Agency has deployed an emergency response following a petrol tanker explosion that claimed 39 lives and left more than 60 others with severe burns in the Essan community, Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
The tragic incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, along the Bida–Badegi–Agaie road.
NEMA made this known in a post on its X handle on Wednesday.
“The explosion, which happened around 3:45 p.m. along the Bida–Badegi–Agaie road, claimed 39 lives and left over 60 persons with severe burns, including men, women, and children. The victims were reportedly among those attempting to scoop fuel from a fallen tanker when the explosion occurred,” the agency stated.
Confirming the development, NEMA said its Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, immediately directed the Head of the Minna Operations Office, Mr. Hussaini Isah, to activate the rescue team and deploy to the scene to support the Niger State Emergency Management Agency and other responders in rescue operations.
The agency said a multi-stakeholder rescue team has commenced a detailed assessment of the damage in the affected community.
“NEMA’s team, working alongside NSEMA, the Police, NSCDC, FRSC, DSS, local vigilantes, and community volunteers, successfully evacuated the injured victims to nearby health facilities, including the Essan Primary Health Centre, Idris Private Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, for emergency treatment.
“The multi-stakeholder rescue team has commenced detailed assessment of damages in the affected community,” it stated.
While commiserating with families of the victims, Umar warned members of the public to desist from scooping fuel from accident tankers, stressing that such dangerous acts have repeatedly resulted in avoidable deaths and destruction.
She also advised residents and motorists to stay clear of accident scenes and promptly report such incidents to emergency agencies for professional handling.
Earlier, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State expressed condolences to the families of the victims of a tanker explosion.
Fuel tanker explosions have remained a recurring tragedy in parts of Nigeria, often linked to the dangerous practice of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.
Similar incidents have claimed dozens of lives and injured many others in different parts of the country, including Rivers, Benue, and Ogun states, in recent years.
In January 2025, no fewer than 50 people lost their lives in a petrol tanker explosion along the Dikko–Maje Road in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State. Earlier, in July 2023, at least eight people were killed in a similar incident in Ondo State, while in June 2025, a petrol-laden tanker exploded opposite the NASFAT junction along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, leaving two people severely injured and six vehicles burnt, causing heavy gridlock on the busy route.
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