Police confirmed on Friday the death of over 170 people as a result of petrol tanker explosion in Jigawa State.
A blast tore through crowds who had rushed to collect fuel spilling from a crashed tanker in the town of Majiya in Jigawa state late on Tuesday.
“At the Federal Medical Centers in Azare, Nguru, and Birnin Kudu, 70 people were receiving intensive care,” said spokesman Deputy Superintendent of Police Lawan Shiisu Adam in a statement, with the death toll rising to 170. Other hospitals were also treating victims for injuries, he added. The tragedy is the latest such accident in Nigeria, which happened at a time when petrol became a precious commodity.
Many are struggling to get access to PMS, as its price has increased more than five times since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office in May 2023.Inflation has been peaking at more than 30 percent for months, reaching an almost three-decade high of 34.19 percent in June, down to 32.7 percent in September.More than half — 56 percent — of Nigerians are living under the poverty line, up from 40 percent in 2018, according to a World Bank report published Thursday.