Niger Tanker Explosion: Niger Govt Takes Swift Action to Quickly Treat Victims

Niger State Health Team has moved swiftly into action to salvage the lives of some of the victims affected by the recently tanker fire incidence that occurred at Dikko junction in Gurara local government of the state.

This followed the earlier directives of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago who ordered free medical services and sufficient health workers be deployed to all the facilities where victims are being managed.

While expressing its condolences to the families of the Saturday’s petrol tanker explosion the Niger state Governor described the incident as “sympathetic.”

The Special Adviser on Digital Media and Strategy Abdullberqy Usman Ebbo on his social media handle X, stated that following governor Umar Bago’s directive an 18 man multi-disciplinary medical team from the Ministry of Health has swung in to action in order to provide medical treatment for the victims.

Ebbo hinted that the team is
led by the Commissioner of Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare, Dr. Tukur Bello, with others to include; the Special Adviser on Health, Dr Shehu Ahmed and the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dr. Murtala Bagana among others.

He disclosed that the medical team were immediately on ground to provide urgent medical relief to the victims of the tanker fire explosion in Dikko who had visited both the Suleja General Hospital and Shehu Musa Yar’adua Hospital, Sabon-Wuse in Tafa local government areas respectively.

Upon assessment of current conditions and of patients, significant number of them would required intensive care and therefore directed that they be referred tertiary healthcare facilities in Abuja.

At the time of this report, a total of 43 patients all male were said to be admitted on Saturday, January 18th, 2025 at the General Hospital, Suleja. Out of which, 7 lost their lives, 3 were satisfactorily discharged to recuperate at home while 10 patients were referred for specialist care in Abuja and the remaining 23 are receiving treatments with various degrees of burnt

Also, at the General Hospital, Sabon-Wuse, 23 patients were initially admitted, 3 died within the first 6 -8 hours of admission, 19 patient relatives signed a consent form to be discharged against medical advice while one patient in critical state to be referred to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja.

According to Ebbo, the team from the ministry of health also used the opportunity to hand over medical supplies and commodities donated by the Niger state government to the two hospitals respectively.