The accident in Niger state follows a similar blast in Jigawa state last October that killed 147 people, one of the worst such tragedies in Africa’s most populous nation.
Kumar Tsukwam, FRSC sector commander for Niger state, said most of the victims were impoverished local residents who had rushed to scoop up the spilled petrol after the truck overturned.
“Large crowd of people gathered to scoop fuel despite concerted efforts to stop them,” Tsukwam said in a statement.
“Suddenly, the tanker burst into flames, engulfing another tanker. So far 60 corpses (have been) recovered from the scene.”
Tsukwam said firefighters had managed to put out the fire.
Such accidents have become common in Africa’s largest oil producer, killing dozens of people in the country grappling with its worst cost of living crisis in a generation.
The price of petrol in Nigeria has soared more than 400% since President Bola Tinubu scrapped a decades-old subsidy when he came into office in May 2023.
Bologi Ibrahim, spokesperson to Niger state governor residents should give priority to their safety when petrol tanker trucks are involved in accidents.
The Nigerian military said on Wednesday its troops had killed 34 militants in a gun battle in northeastern Borno state and six soldiers had also died.
The clash took place on Saturday in Sabon Gari village when the militants ambushed troops returning to a military base, military spokesman Major-General Edward Buba said.
The militants belonged to the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) groups, he said
They were riding on motorcycles and trucks mounted with guns.
The troops, along with reinforcements from the Civilian Joint Taskforce militia and vigilante groups, successfully repelled the attack, he said.
Nigeria has been grappling with a 16-year-long militant insurgency in its northeast driven primarily by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP that has led to huge human and economic losses, including mass displacement and a humanitarian crisis.
Buba said six soldier were killed in the action while an improvised explosive device (IED) injured the vigilante commander.
The Nigerian Air Force also carried out airstrikes on the fleeing insurgents, resulting in further casualties in addition to the 34 killed in the gun battle, Buba said.
