Kogi State – No fewer than six people were killed on Tuesday night after a gas laden truck exploded at an Army checkpoint along the Abuja Lokoja Federal Highway in Kogi State, triggering a massive fire that spread to nearby vehicles.
The explosion occurred within the jurisdiction of the Chikara Division, prompting an emergency response by police officers, personnel of the Motor Traffic Division and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
An eyewitness told journalists that the truck, which was conveying gas cylinders, exploded as it approached the checkpoint, igniting a fire that quickly engulfed other vehicles in the vicinity before emergency responders could bring the blaze under control.
Emergency responders worked through the night to contain the fire and recover victims, with the highway briefly disrupted as authorities managed the scene and cleared wreckage from the busy federal corridor.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has not yet released a full breakdown of the casualties or disclosed whether any additional victims remain unaccounted for, with investigations into the cause of the explosion ongoing.
The tragedy renews concerns about the safety of transporting gas cylinders along Nigeria’s busy federal highways, with residents calling for stricter enforcement of haulage safety standards around security checkpoints.
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