Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, has prohibited heavy-duty trucks from using the Dikko Bridge following a deadly tanker explosion on Saturday.
During his visit to the site, Bago directed vehicles from the Maje axis to pass under the bridge and take a u-turn. He expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of 77 lives, calling the incident “pathetic,” and thanked God it did not spread to nearby communities.
The governor urged the Federal Government to expedite the completion of the Minna-Suleja road, attributing delays to repeated fatal incidents. He also directed the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to establish a local detachment for enforcing the new traffic measures, urging transport unions to cooperate.
Bago commended the efforts of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), fire service, FRSC, and transport unions in assisting victims. Doctors from Minna hospitals will be redeployed to support treatment of the injured at Suleja General Hospital.
The NSEMA Director General, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed 25 injured victims were taken to hospitals in Suleja and Wuse for urgent care.
This is the latest in a string of tanker explosions, with over 170 deaths in Jigawa State in October and 1,531 similar accidents recorded by the FRSC in 2020.