At least six people have been killed after a truck carrying cooking gas cylinders exploded at a military checkpoint in central Nigeria.
The blast happened on Tuesday night on the busy Abuja-Lokoja federal highway in Kogi State.
The vehicle exploded as it approached the checkpoint within the Chikara district, sparking a massive fire that rapidly engulfed nearby heavy-duty trucks waiting in line.
Emergency responders from the police and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) rushed to the scene to extinguish the blaze and clear the charred wreckage.
Vehicles consumed by fire
The driver of the gas truck and his assistant (motor boy) were killed instantly in the explosion.
The resulting inferno quickly spread to three other trucks parked nearby, killing their drivers and assistants as well.
According to authorities, the three destroyed cargo trucks bore registration plates from:
- Jigawa State
- Lagos State
- The Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Traffic restored
The remains of the six victims were recovered from the wreckage and evacuated to the General Hospital in Abaji.
The highway, which serves as a major transit artery linking Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to the southern part of the country, was temporarily blocked but has since been cleared to restore the flow of traffic.
While investigations into the exact cause of the ignition are ongoing, local police command representatives have not yet released an official statement.
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