At the very least 34 individuals died in Benin close to Nigeria’s border on Saturday 23 September 2023 when a contraband gas depot exploded into flames, sending up a black cloud of smoke into the sky and leaving dozens of charred our bodies on the website, a authorities official and residents mentioned.
The blaze erupted at a warehouse for smuggled gas within the southern Benin city of Seme Podji, the place automobiles, motorbikes and tricycle taxis got here to replenish on gas, based on native residents.
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Which nation produces oil?
Nigeria is a serious oil producer, and gas smuggling is widespread contained in the nation and alongside its borders, with unlawful refineries, gas dumps and pipelines typically inflicting fires.
“I’m nonetheless in shock. We heard individuals screaming for assist. However the depth of the flames was an excessive amount of for individuals to attempt to method,” mentioned Harmless Sidokpohou, an area carpenter.
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“I acquired gasoline for my motorcycle to go do my procuring. I left, and barely 5 meters away, I heard an explosion. After I rotated, it was all black smoke.”
Benin’s Inside Minister Alassane Seidou informed reporters a critical fireplace had occurred within the city however didn’t give particulars about precisely the way it had occurred.
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What number of reported deaths within the Benin fireplace?
“Sadly, we’ve got 34 deaths, together with two infants. Their our bodies are charred as a result of the reason for the fireplace is smuggled gas,” the official mentioned. The minister mentioned one other 20 individuals had been being handled in hospital, together with some in critical situation.
“I reside not removed from the tragedy,” mentioned Semevo Nounagnon, an area bike driver. “I can’t actually provide the reason behind the fireplace, however there’s a massive gasoline warehouse right here, and automobiles, tricycles, and bikes come from morning to night.”
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For many years, Nigeria’s low-cost subsidised gasoline was transported illegally by street to neighbouring nations, primarily Benin, the place it’s resold on the black market by casual sellers.
When he got here to workplace in Might, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserted the long-standing subsidy meant to maintain petrol costs artificially low for Nigerians.
The subsidy value the federal government billions of {dollars} a 12 months, and Tinubu made it his first of a collection of reforms aimed toward revamping Nigeria’s financial system and attracting extra funding.
That call precipitated a tripling in petrol costs in Nigeria but additionally impacted the value of black market gas smuggled over the border into Benin and different nations.
Nigeria’s subsidy choice illustrated Benin’s deep financial dependence on its big neighbour, with 215 million inhabitants, the continent’s largest financial system and standing as considered one of Africa’s high oil producers.
bur/pma/pvh© Agence France-Presse
