He said 52 other people suffered “severe burns from the explosion”.

The National Emergency Management Authority had earlier said in a statement that 15 shops had been destroyed in the explosion.

Kumar Tsukwam, a sector commander for Niger State with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said that people rushed to scoop up the spilled petrol after the truck overturned. “The tanker burst into flames, engulfing another tanker,” he said in a statement.