The tanker came from Kano State and had driven around 110km. Credit: PeterHermesFurian via Getty Images.

A fuel tanker accident in north-west Nigeria has killed at least 150 people and wounded many others.

After the tanker overturned, local people reportedly rushed to the scene to collect the spilled and leaking fuel, and after a few minutes the tanker exploded.

The incident on Tuesday night happened in Jigawa state, and mass funerals are already being held.

Multiple media reports, citing local officials, mentioned a “massive inferno” and images from the scene showed a huge fire stretching over a wide area, with the blaze finally extinguished on Wednesday morning.

According to local police, the tanker had travelled around 70 miles from Kano state, and crashed after avoiding a collision with another vehicle.

On Wednesday evening, Nigerian vice-president Kashim Shettima said the federal government was sending resources to the area.

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In the late summer, almost 50 people were killed in another fuel tanker accident, and in 2020, well over 500 people were killed in incidents related to tanker crashes and fires in the African country.

In January 2024, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company destroyed more than 5,686 illegal refineries and removed 4,480 illegal pipeline collections in the past three years, the company’s chief executive Mele Kyari said at the time.

When discussing Nigeria’s energy security challenges at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Kyari highlighted rapid population growth, pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.

He also suggested that energy conservation, diversification and efficiency measures could be used to enhance energy security.