- Safiu Kehinde
Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has banned heavy-duty trucks from plying one way through Dikko bridge, following a tanker explosion that claimed many lives on Saturday.
Bago gave the directive during a visit to the scene of the explosion at Dikko junction in Suleja local government area of the state.
The governor described the incident as pathetic while expressing sadness over the loss of lives.
He, however, expressed relief that it did not extend to adjoining communities in the area.
Bago decried the recklessness of some drivers just as he directed that vehicles coming from the Maje axis should not pass through Dikko Bridge.
He said that the vehicles should, instead, follow the route under the bridge and take a U-turn.
In an effort to enforce the directive, the governor called on the sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to establish a detachment in the area.
He also urged transport unions to cooperate with the FRSC.
Bago attributed the frequent accidents in the area to the delay in completing the Minna-Suleja road project and called on the federal government to expedite action on the project.
He commended the state Emergency Management Agency, Fire Service, FRSC and the National Union of Road Transport Workers for their roles in evacuating victims of the explosion.
The governor noted that doctors from Minna hospitals would be redeployed to assist in treating the injured victims currently receiving treatment at Suleja General Hospital.
NPO earlier reported that the fuel tanker explosion claimed 50 lives as confirmed by the FRSC.