By Nkechi Eze
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has activated the Agency’s Benin Operations Office to immediately coordinate response efforts following a tanker fire incident along the Auchi–Jattu Road in Auchi, Edo State.
The incident occurred at about 8:00 pm on Tuesday, 17 December 2025, when a tanker reportedly lost control and fell, leading to the spillage of its contents into an underground drainage system. The spillage subsequently triggered multiple explosions at different points along the drainage channel, creating panic within the affected area.
Upon receiving a distress call from the Edo State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, the NEMA Benin Operations Office was promptly activated and began coordinating response activities with Edo SEMA, the Local Emergency Management Committee, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, and military authorities in Auchi to contain the situation and attend to victims.
Preliminary assessments indicated that no fatalities were recorded as at the time of reporting. However, 25 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries and were swiftly evacuated to medical facilities across Auchi and surrounding areas for treatment.
At the Teaching Hospital in Auchi, three male victims were admitted, including two with lacerations and one with third-degree burns. At Amazing Grace Clinic, Water Board, twelve victims, ten males and two females were treated for injuries that included burns ranging from first to third degree, a case of shock, and lacerations. Four male victims with lacerations were treated, stitched, and discharged at the Unique Medical Centre on Obe Street. At City Hospital along Warrake Road, a male and a female, a father and daughter from the same family, were admitted with deep cuts, lacerations, and minor burns. At Winners Hospital, Olele Junction, four male victims were treated, including one with third-degree burns, one with a head injury, and two others with minor bruises.
NEMA said it is continuing to monitor the situation closely in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders to ensure effective coordination, adequate medical care for the injured, and a timely response to any emerging needs.
The Agency added that further updates would be provided as developments unfold.
