Polytechnic students die in Kogi state petrol tanker fire

A petrol tanker explosion in Felele area of Lokoja, Kogi State on Wednesday claimed lives of ten persons, as the tanker lost control and rammed into oncoming vehicles.

Penpushing reports than a witness said the sad incident occurred at about 8.00am which lasted for over an hour, adding that some of the victims include: a primary school pupil and Kogi State Polytechnic students

The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello while reacting to the explosion, expressed shock and sorrow, and also condole with the families of the victims, lamenting that, “It is very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, property and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire.”

Penpushing further reports that Bello urged the students of Kogi State Polytechnic to remain calm and peaceful, saying that he shared in their grieving moment over the death of some of their colleagues in the disaster

The Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari while reacting to the incident stated that the death of 23 people “represents another disturbing and saddening incident in the litany of tragedies that have befallen our country.”

“I am seriously worried about the frequency of these unfortunate and large scale tragedies in the country which cause needless deaths. These frequent incidents that result in loss of lives and property are a national scandal caused by our indifference to safety standards.”

Penpushing also reports that, Buhari explained that “many accidents are preventable if proper proactive and precautionary measures are put in place or properly observed as routine policies’, regretting that “ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities.”

The President called on the county’s transport authorities, traffic and road management agencies as well as law enforcement officials “to sit up and enforce safety standards with more seriousness,”

“Refusal to do the right thing can cause potential tragic problems that harm innocent people. Nigeria is not having a shortage of laws and regulations, but our problem is lack of zeal to enforce those laws and regulations for the sake of public safety”, he said