Six people die in gas truck blast at Kogi Army checkpoint

At least six people died on Tuesday night after a truck loaded with gas exploded at an Army checkpoint on the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Highway in Kogi State.

The explosion happened in the Chikara Division area. This led to a quick response from police officers, the Motor Traffic Division, and the Federal Road Safety Corps.

An eyewitness told our reporter that the truck, carrying gas cylinders, blew up as it got close to the Army checkpoint. The blast caused a huge fire that spread to other vehicles on the road.

"The driver of the gas truck and his motor boy were burnt to death. The fire also consumed three other trucks, killing their drivers and motor boys. In total, six people died in this tragic event," the eyewitness said.

The destroyed trucks had registration numbers from Jigawa State, Lagos State, and the Federal Capital Territory. The victims' bodies were taken to the General Hospital in Abaji. The burnt vehicles were removed from the highway to allow traffic to flow again.

Attempts to get an official statement from the Kogi State Police Command did not succeed. The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Salisu Oyiza Afusat, did not reply to calls or text messages asking for comments at the time of this report.