Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has directed the State Fire Service to prosecute owners of filling stations with no functional fire-fighting equipment.
He also directed the agency to seriously reprimand filling stations with faulty fire equipment, stressing that his administration would not allow petroleum products to be sold under hazardous conditions.
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The governor gave the directive during a visit to Al-Ihsan Filling Petroleum Company, Sharada, in the state capital, which erupted into flames on Saturday, while a tanker was offloading fuel at the station.
The governor also ordered the agency to conduct regular seminars for employees of filing stations, to educate them on best practices in fuel management and fire prevention.
The Director, Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Hassan Ahamad Muhammad, explained that his office received a distress call from the station on Saturday evening and responded appropriately.
“We quenched the fire within two hours but, sadly, a fuel attendant mistakenly opened a fuel compartment and instantly, there was an explosion which injured about 68 people”, he stated.
He said out of the 68 victims, eight were his men, including his deputy, who led firefighters to the venue of the incident, adding that the victims, with various degrees of injury, including fractures, have all been hospitalised.
In a related development, a statement by Ameen Kabir Yassar, the Director-General, Media and Public Relations for the Government House, said Governor Ganduje had visited Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, where the victims were admitted and directed the state ministry of health to ensure all the victims were treated free of charge.
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