Falana blames security agencies for Niger tanker explosion

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has blamed security agencies and relevant government agencies saddled with the responsibility of attending to emergencies for failing to prevent Saturday’s tragic petrol tanker explosion that occurred at Dikko Junction in Gurara Local Government area of Niger State.

Falana disclosed this when he was featured as a guest on the Sunday edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, reportedly claimed at least 86 lives and left over 55 victims hospitalised.

While expressing deep regret over the loss of lives and destruction of properties, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria lamented that the explosion could have been avoided if relevant agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerian Police arrived on time to prevent people from rushing to scoop fuel from the collapsed tanker.

He said, “The basic fact with respect to this avoidable tragedy is the fact that the authorities did not take adequate measures to prevent the explosion. So the government will have to be more proactive. The agencies put in place to prevent disasters will have to be more proactive.

“Otherwise, we will end up blaming the victims of poverty in the country. Yes, poverty may be the remote cause. But what about the immediate cause, which is a failure of intelligence and the failure of security forces to ensure that once a tanker falls in any part of the country on the road, security forces are expected to ensure that nobody moves near the site until the tanker is removed?

“(Unfortunately) We simply wait, allowing poor people, most of the time out of ignorance or poverty, to move there to draw fuel. Unless we make an example once and all, it will continue (to happen) in the country.

“This is unacceptable in a modern system. And since we are operating in a capitalist system, somebody or an agency will have to be responsible. This is why you have insurance companies to take care of situations of this nature.”