A RECENT video circulated on social media capturING men in police uniform scooping petrol from a fallen tanker. Four men in police uniform were seen with jerry cans scooping fuel beside a tiny expressway alongside other individuals without uniforms.
The video berated the men in police unform for committing a crime they had been preaching against.
But Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, responded in a statement that the uniformed personnel involved in the video were from a neighbouring country, not Nigeria.
“The viral video circulating in the media that depicts uniformed personnel in camouflage scooping fuel from the wreckage of an accidented tanker was just released to discredit the Nigeria Police Force.
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“It is essential to clarify that the individuals in the video are not officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
“They are uniformed personnel from a neighbouring francophone country whose camouflage uniforms bear a resemblance to the Nigeria Police’s.”
However, many Nigerians were not convinced with the police spokesman’s response. One commentator, Mr Charles Whyte, said the uniforms seen in the video were Nigeria police’s, noting that “no police officers from another country will have the audacity to drive into Nigeria just to scoop petrol.”
“Did they know the tanker would fall before entering Nigeria? Even if they came from Accra to Nigeria, it would take a minimum of six hours and even up to 12 hours by road. So, did the officers drive into Nigeria in their vehicles just to scoop petrol? How will then even be able to leave Nigeria without security checks?”
Petrol tanker tragedies
Several tragedies have been recorded from petrol scooping across Nigeria. The Punch reported in January 2025 that in the past four years alone, over 400 lives had been lost to the tragedy across Nigeria.
On January 25, tanker explosion killed over 86 persons near the Suleja area of Niger State after some individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator. The transfer sparked the explosion, killing several individuals near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There were people that were burnt to ashes. How can we get that figure?” The official said, indicating that the death toll might be higher than 86. “We won’t know the exact figure without forensics,” Hussaini Isah of the National Emergency Management Agency told the Associated Press.
In October 2024, a deadly tanker explosion occured in Majiya, a village in Jigawa State, when a vehicle crashed and while locals were attempting to scoop fuel. More than 153 persons died from the fatal incident.
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“The driver lost control and the tanker somersaulted and spilled fuel into a drainage ditch,” Jigawa police spokesperson Shiisu Lawan Adam said. “As a result, residents rushed to scoop the fuel when the explosion happened.”
Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima said, “This devastating incident has shaken us all to our core. The Federal Government stands with the people of Jigawa. We are mobilising all necessary resources to support the injured and assist the families affected by this calamity.”
The Jigawa State Tanker Explosion Investigation Panel confirmed in November 2024 that 209 lives were lost in the incident, while 99 others sustained various degrees of injuries.
Tanker explosion in Majiya Source: CNN
Old habits die hard
Social commentators told Economy Post that the attitude of scooping petrol from fallen tankers isn’t going away any time soon, stating that old habits often die hard.
“It is a social problem, and I think the National Orientation Agency should step up and educate Nigerians on why this should not be happening in the 21st century Nigeria. It does not result from poverty but ignorance and greed,” said Lagos State-based public affairs analyst, Mr Joshua Abba.
But for a social and political commentator, Ms Helen Agbo, who hails from Agenebode, Edo State, poverty is the major driver of such behaviour.
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“In communities where the rich and well-to-do live, you will not hear of people coming to scoop petrol when a tanker is involved in an accident. Such incidents are common in places or communities where the poor and the struggling live. While I am not justifying this very odious behaviour, I wish to state that poverty is its major driver.
“Nigeria is a nation with 133 million multi-dimensional poverty, so you cannot help but have this kind of situation from time to time. But my advice to everybody is to learn from what has happened to others. Nobody needs to die because they are scooping petrol. Poverty itself is not a justification for that.
“But the govenment must brace up to tackle poverty. It is not excusable to do nothing about this level of poverty in our nation at this point in history. Never.”
