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Wetin cause di trailer explosion wey claim several lives for Abuja

Wetin cause di trailer explosion wey claim several lives for Abuja

BBC News20-03-2025

At least, half a dozen pipo don kpai from explosion wey happen for Karu, one suburb of di Nigeria capital Abuja on Wednesday evening, according to official figures.
Eye witnesses tell BBC Pidgin say di number of casualties dey more dan dat.
Na around 7:00pm wen residents begin hia explosions like bomb and evribodi fear as dem bin tink say na anoda Boko Haram attack.
Remember say di area wia di explosion dey just about two hundred meters away from di Nyanya Bus Park wia Boko Haram fighters bin plant bomb in April 2014 wey kill about 19 pipo.
According to accounts by operatives of di Federal Road Safety Corps, FCT Fire Service, and di Councillor wey dey represent Nyanya Ward for di Abuja Municipal Area Council, na one trailer wey carry Dangote Cement cause di accident.
"Di trailer driver no gree stop wen VIO (Vehicle Inspection Officers) pipo dey stop am, bicos big trucks no suppose dey go on dis road from 4pm to 9pm," Mathew Danjuma Yare, di Nyanya Ward Councilor, tell BBC Pidgin.
"So as e dey try to run, e lose control and start to dey hit-hit cars wey dey for holdup. Na so e catch fire.
"Di trailer na CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) e dey use, so as e catch fire, di CNG cylinders start to dey explode. In total na five explosions happen."
Yare wwey say dem comot from di scene about 12am Thursday morning, tok say dem evacuate six dead bodi from di spot, but two more later die for hospital. "I no know now weda di number don increase," e tok.
However, official statement by di police say na six pipo die, and C.I Mukhtar, di Sector Commander of FRSC FCT, say about 25 pipo get various degrees of injuries.
We tink say na bomb - eye witnesses
Karu Bridge, di exact spot wia di accident happen na popular busstop along di Abuja-Keffi expressway, so plenty okada pipo dey stay dia to carry pipo as dem dey come down from di buses.
Some of dem tell us say di number of pipo wey die dey more dan six.
Sunday Okonkwo wey im sister bin injure for leg and also lose her phone for di explosions, tell us say im count six bodies but e believe say di numba pass like dat bicos of how big di fire and explosions bin dey.
Also residential houses dey close to di road, and pipo wey live around tok say di explosions bin make dem fear.
"If you dey around hia wen dis tins bin dey explode, you to go fear. We tink say na bomb bicos of how loud e dey and how e bin dey shake evriwia," one person wey live near di place tell BBC Pidgin.
E even tok say one of di CNG cylinders bin land close to im compound and damage one motor.
Dis no be di first time wey accidents involving heavy-duty vehicles dey happen along di Abuja-Keffi road.
Authorities bin don ban such vehicles from using di road from 4:00pm to 9:00pm wey be di time di road dey most busy as pipo dey go back from work. But sometimes, some drivers no dey gree obey.
"Di easiest solution to dis kind of tragedy na to return to dat time restriction," C.I Mukhtar tell tori pipo. "E no get anywia for di world wia small vehicles and heavy-duty trucks dey ply di same road at di same time."
"We go try our best to make sure say we dey enforce dat time restriction so dat even wen incidents happen, di number of human casualties no go plenty."
For Councillor Yare, e want di Federal Goment to build a barricade wey go prevent heavy duty trucks from using di road until di time wey goment give dem.
'Emergency workers try well-well'
According to witnesses, di time wey e take di Fire Service pipo to reach di scene of di accident dey very impressive.
"Immediately I call fire service pipo, e no take long di Karu station pipo come, di Nyanya station pipo come, na dem come call di pipo for town and dem also land very fast," Yare tok.
"I give am to dem. Dem really try. Tensions bin dey high dat yesterday so if dem bin come late, pipo for dey throw dem stone in anger, but even bifor pipo start to dey gada, fire service pipo don dey hia."
E say di rescue work na joint effort by Fire Service, FRSC, National Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and Police.
As at 9:00am dis Thursday morning BBC Pidgin see all dis agencies as dem dey around to clear di scene and make way for cars to dey pass smoothly.
Di cement trailer wey bin cause di fire dey by di side of di road, wit full load of cement but e don totally burn.
"We go first evacuate di cement bifor our tow-trucks go comot di trailer for road so dat traffic go dey flow," di FRSC sector commander tok.

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