Fuel shortage now looms in Dansadau town and other neighbouring communities as armed bandits intercepted and set ablaze an oil tanker along Gusau-Dansadau road.
The fuel tanker was said to be among dozens of other vehicles being escorted to Dansadau on Tuesday, August 24, by security operatives onboard an armoured personnel carrier.
Daily Trust reported that the bandits took the convoy by surprise, shooting the fuel tanker and triggering an explosion.
The owner of the tanker, Alhaji Yau Muhammad Dansadau said the vehicle was carrying fuel from the NNPC depot in Gusau to supply a filling station in the community, to address the acute fuel shortage witnessed due to the closure of other filling stations.
Dansadau said, “The whereabouts of the driver and one other person on board the vehicle is unknown. They may be kidnapped. The fear is that there is going to be an acute shortage of fuel very soon. Motorcycles, vehicles and other machines using petrol will soon stop.
“As I am told, the fuel tanker was not only the vehicle attacked, several other motorists jumped out of their vehicles and scampered to safety despite the fact that the attackers were engaged in a firefight by the police escort.
“No vehicle can ply that road without escorts. Dozens of people especially local traders and commercial drivers have been killed or kidnapped along that 100 km road that is in a very terrible condition.”