Metro

Fresh Tragedy Hits Niger: Seven Dead, One Injured In Devastating Tanker Explosion

Published

6 months ago

March 8, 2025

A tragic incident occurred in Karamin Rami village, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, on March 4, 2025, at approximately 6:30 p.m, when a fuel-laden tanker, struggling to manoeuvre through a bad road without a shoulder, lost balance and overturned, spilling its highly flammable Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) content into a nearby stream.

The stream, used by dry-season farmers for irrigation, became the epicentre of a catastrophic chain reaction when the spilt fuel came into contact with an operating water pump.

The pump ignited the fuel, leading to a fierce fire outbreak that swiftly travelled back to the tanker, causing a massive explosion.

Flames spread through the contaminated stream and engulfed the surrounding rice fields and fruit plantations.

Unfortunately, several farmers working in their fields were caught in the inferno. By the time the fire was extinguished, seven lives had been lost, and one person was severely injured.

The deceased victims have been identified as: Rafiatu Sahabi, Ramlat Shehu, Rashida Abdullahi, Raliya Abdulrahman, Zainab Ahmed, Zuwaira Idrisu, and Maryam A. Nura.

Meanwhile, Maimuna Isah, the sole survivor, sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at Saho Rami Primary Health Care Center.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the incident in an official statement. He attributed the tragedy to poor road conditions, which forced the tanker driver to manoeuvre dangerously, ultimately leading to the spill and explosion.

Emergency responders and local authorities have since been deployed to assess the damage and provide necessary support to the affected families.

This unfortunate incident highlights the urgent need for road rehabilitation in rural communities and stricter safety measures for fuel transportation.

Authorities are expected to launch further investigations into the disaster while seeking ways to prevent future occurrences.

The development comes after a similar tanker explosion in January which left many dead, and several injured.

Metro

Gateman Arrested For Allegedly Defiling Four-year-old Pupil In Oyo

Published

6 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

A 26-year-old gateman identified as Josiah Ayomide has been arrested for allegedly defiling a four-year-old pupil in one of the schools in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The suspect was paraded alongside other suspects arrested for offences ranging from theft, banditry, rape, and other crimes at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, on Thursday.

In his briefing, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, said the suspect was nabbed after the victim complained of severe vaginal pains to her parents at home.

Osifeso added that after a thorough investigation and probe, the suspect confessed to the crime.

The police spokesman said the victim later told her mother that her school gateman had unlawfully raped her while she was in the school.

According to the report, “The victim was taken to the Police Medical Clinic, Eleyele-Ibadan, for medical examination and treatment, and the medical report revealed that the hymen was not intact, with tenderness around the vulva and vagina and bruises.”

Osifeso said the suspect would be prosecuted upon completion of the investigation.

Metro

Panic As Fire Guts Fuel Station In Ikorodu

Published

7 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Photo: File Copy

There was pandemonium on Friday when fire gutted A1 Petroleum Filling Station, an independent oil dealer located on Isawo Road, off Agric Bus Stop in Ikorodu, Lagos.

As of 1 p.m., the extent of property destroyed and possible casualties had not been confirmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, supported by other emergency responders, were at the scene battling to contain the inferno, which reportedly began from a diesel-laden truck within the premises.

Metro

DSS Charges Top Ansaru Leaders Over Terrorism, Kuje Prison Break Roles

Published

8 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) has brought terrorism charges against two senior commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group, over their alleged role in violent attacks across Nigeria.

The suspects are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, who is described as the Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda. They were recently captured during security operations.

According to the DSS, the charges against them include leading a terrorist organisation, funding its activities, recruiting members, and planning violent operations nationwide.

Their arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected soon.

Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), said the two men were behind the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, where more than 600 inmates, including Boko Haram suspects, escaped.

Ribadu explained: “Abu Bara was the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism.”

On Mamuda, Ribadu revealed that he trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadists from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in handling weapons and making explosive devices.

The NSA also linked the suspects to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu described their arrest as “a turning point”, noting that the duo maintained strong networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.