Three children and over 15 adults were burnt to death in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Sunday.
NIGERIACRIME gathered that residents of the area had besieged the scene of a crash to scoop petrol from a truck when the incident occurred along the Benin–Ore-Sagamu Expressway.
According to an eyewitness, the fire was ignited by a spark from a phone held by one of the persons who were scooping fuel.
Three children and a pregnant woman who brought a sum of N100,000 to the scene to buy fuel were said to have been killed by the explosion.
The eyewitness said, “We were inside the church when the tanker fell and spilled its contents on the road. Shortly after it fell down and spilled the fuel on the road, some persons rushed to the place to scoop fuel.
“At that time, the rain was falling. Despite that, people still rushed there and started scooping fuel when the fire started after a spark from a phone.
“At the scene, we have counted about three children and over 15 bodies we can’t identify, and also a pregnant woman that wanted to buy the fuel also died in the incident. They were burnt beyond recognition.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident and described the victims as fuel scoopers.
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“They were scooping fuel from a tanker when the fire started. We have commenced an investigation into the matter,” the PPRO stated.
Meanwhile, the Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested two suspects for allegedly stealing a vehicle in the Lafia Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Lafia, the state capital, on Sunday.
Nansel explained that after stealing the vehicle, the suspects aged 49 and 38 years respectively, escaped to Taraba and Plateau States, but were arrested after painstaking efforts by policemen attached to the command.
He said, “On July 19, 2023, around 4pm, a complaint was lodged at ‘B’ Division, Lafia that a Toyota Corolla, 2015 model was given to a mechanic in Lafia for repairs.
“However, the suspect took away the vehicle to an unknown destination and all efforts to get across to him proved abortive.
“In reaction to the complaint, police detectives attached to ‘B’ Division, Lafia carried out an extensive investigation into the case.
“Consequently, the prime suspect, 49-year-old Sani Labaran of Shinge Road, Lafia was trailed and arrested at Gembu, Taraba State while his accomplice, 38-year-old Ibeto Nwobodo of Faringada, Jos was arrested in Jos.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to have conspired to sell the vehicle for N2.5m.”