Petrol tanker driver rams into passengers in Borno

By Ndahi MARAMA, Maiduguri
TRAGEDY occurred yesterday when an unidentified tanker driver suspected to be a smuggler of petroleum products lost control of his vehicle around the popular Bama- Banki Junction and ram  into passengers and trapped them when he was about to negotiate his way, living the driver and the passengers dead.
The incident which occurred 9 oclock in the morning, vanguard gathered, the Tanker is fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit also known as Petrol, and when the driver who was coming from Maiduguri with a high speed trying to negotiate its way, somersaulted on the waiting_ passengers and after five seconds catched fire.

Bama_ Banki Road is just 40 kilometers away to the Boarder town of Borno and Cameroon Republic . According to an eye witness, Mallam Babagana Bukar Maina, a hawker along the junction said that the young looking driver believed not to be conversant with the road was coming with a speed from Maiduguri enroute Bama to Banki town, and on reaching the round about, he eventually missed control and ram into some stranded passengers including a woman with her one child.

Maina said immediately when some of the hawkers noticed the hell coming their way, they managed to run away for their dear lives, but unfortunately that the tanker exploded within a twinkle of an eye, and that the fire consumed those trapped without any rescue.

Our Reporter who was also plying the same road ten minutes after the explosion revealed that , as at the time of filing this report, the truck and the victims were still trapped in the inferno, as no any fire service men or rescue team were seen at the scene, only some few mobile policemen who were also plying the same road were giving directives for motorists not to pass along the Maiduguri_ Gwoza – Yola federal highway.