A devastating explosion has rocked border town of Magama Jibia in Katsina State, leaving scores of people injured and causing extensive damage to vehicles and houses.
The incident, which occurred at a filling station named ‘Walidan’, has been linked to smuggling activities involving gas cylinders transported from the neighbouring Niger Republic.
According to Shehu Umar, a resident of the area, the disaster began when a truck loaded with gas cylinders was parked at the filling station for days.
“What happened is about the people who are smuggling gas from Niger Republic and stopover at some areas in Jibia town,” he explained. “On this particular one, they came in a truck loaded with gas cylinders and parked at the filling station. We can’t ascertain the root cause of the disaster at the moment, but we suspect a spark from a wire on the truck, which may have triggered the explosion and spread to other trucks.”
While the exact number of injured victims remained unclear at press time, witnesses confirmed that many people sustained injuries. Several vehicles, houses, and even school structures in the vicinity suffered severe damage.
Residents expressed frustration over the smuggling of gas into the area, attributing the disaster to unchecked activities of smugglers. “The issue is that people are doing the business illegally, and the concerned authorities have not done anything to check their activities,” Umar lamented.
The smugglers are reportedly exploiting subsidised gas production in Niger Republic, a government initiative aimed at combating desertification. Residents are now calling on the Nigerian government to take urgent and decisive action against smuggling activities to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Emergency services were working to assess the extent of the damage and assist affected residents. However, authorities were yet to issue any official statement on the incident.
