A massive gas explosion at Magama Jibia, a border town in Katsina State, has left scores injured and caused widespread destruction to buildings, vehicles, and school structures in the area.
The explosion occurred at a filling station known as ‘Walidan’ and is suspected to be linked to smuggling activities involving gas cylinders transported from Niger Republic. Witnesses reported that a truck laden with gas cylinders had been parked at the station for several days before the disaster struck.
Shehu Umar, a resident of the area, recounted the sequence of events, saying:
“What happened is about the people who are smuggling gas from Niger Republic and stopover at some areas in Jibia town. 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.”
The blast inflicted injuries on numerous people, although the exact number remained unconfirmed at press time. It also destroyed several vehicles and damaged nearby houses and school buildings.
Residents expressed anger over the unchecked smuggling of gas, blaming the illegal activities for the disaster. Umar lamented:
“The issue is that people are doing the business illegally, and the concerned authorities have not done anything to check their activities.”
The smugglers reportedly exploit subsidised gas production in Niger Republic, an initiative aimed at combating desertification, by bringing it into Nigeria for profit. Residents have called on the Nigerian government to take immediate action to curb smuggling and prevent future tragedies.
Emergency response teams were on the scene, assisting affected residents and assessing the scale of the damage. As of now, authorities have yet to release an official statement on the incident.
