Two months after Niger State Governor Umar Bago pledged one million naira to the families of victims who lost their lives in the tanker explosion in Essan community, Katcha Local Government Area, along with N500,000 and full medical coverage for the injured, some survivors have reportedly been forced to leave hospitals due to unpaid bills and unfulfilled government support.
The tragic explosion, which occurred on October 22, 2025, along the Bida–Badegi–Agaie Road, claimed 39 lives and left over 60 others injured.
Families said over the weekend that the financial and medical assistance promised by the state government has not been fully delivered, leaving many victims and their relatives struggling to cope.
Following the incident, Governor Bago visited the community on October 23 and expressed his condolences.
According to a statement signed by Adamu Suleiman Mashegu, Senior Special Assistant on New Media, to the office of the Secretary to State Government (SSG), the governor announced a donation of one million naira to family of each deceased victim and N500,000 to each injured victim.
The statement added that full medical coverage would be provided to all injured victims and that the state government would build a new primary healthcare centre in Essan. It also noted that Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, had promised to repair the Mokwa-Lambata Road.
Ahmed, a resident of Essan who lost his only brother in the incident, told SaharaReporters that some victims sent to Ilorin General Hospital in Kwara State had returned home because the government did not settle treatment costs.
He said the only costs the government paid for them were hospitalisation and consultant fees. Aside from that, the victims and their relatives have to buy drugs, food and pay for other expenses.
“The only thing the government paid for the victims is money for treatment and for seeing doctors. Aside from this, nothing else; we paid for food, drugs and other things by ourselves,” Ahmed said.
Mal Saidu, who lost a son and a grandson, said he is yet to receive the one million naira pledged by Governor Bago.
“I have not received anything from the governor as promised. In fact, I have not heard anything about the promise the governor made to us since his visit,” he said.
Another parent, Mahmud, said he lost two sons to the incident. And since the governor promised, he hasn’t heard anything from him or the government.
A source said the pledge nearly caused tension between the Katcha council chairman Zubairu Mohammed Essan and locals when an elderly man asked in a mosque about the unfulfilled promise.
The source said the community has now accused the governor of making fake promises.
“There was a time that the governor’s promise almost caused a fight in the community when an elderly man in the mosque asked if there was any update regarding the money promised,” the source said.
When the issue reached the Council Chairman, Zubairu, he directed that anyone making negative comments about the governor’s financial pledge should be warned to desist.
The source added that youths have mobilised themselves, warning that any attempt to act against them would be resisted.
Residents also said the chairman has not taken steps to provide condolence messages or financial assistance to victims.
Attempts to get a reaction from the Niger State Government were unsuccessful, as messages sent to the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary Bologi Ibrahim were not replied to as at the time of filing this report.