Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Sunday expressed sadness over the death of six persons following a fire outbreak involving petrol tankers at Tafa, Kagarko local government area of the state.
The incident which occurred on Saturday also left 14 persons with various degrees of injuries. One house and several shops were burnt when a trailer conveying petroleum products caught fire.
El-Rufai, who arrived the scene of the incident around 6:30pm, in company of Hon. Nuhu Goro Shadalafiya, member representing Kagarko Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly and other government officials, condoled the community and assured them of government commitment to complete the Tafa trailer park.
The Governor, who lamented the incident, insisted that tankers must stop parking on the highway as soon as the trailer parks under construction in Maraban Jos and Tafa are completed.
The Governor also visited the site of the trailer park being constructed in Tafa. He charged the contractor to speed up workand complete the project to end the perennial dangers posed by trailers packed on the highway.
“It is unfortunate and painful but we will redouble our commitment to end this menace. We have been doing our best insisting, that trailers must leave the highway because parking on the road is risk to our citizens.
“I am assuring you that they will soon leave once we are done with the construction of the garage. We are equally doing the same thing in Maraban Jos along Kaduna-Zaria highway.
“We can’t allow this menace to persist while putting the lives of our citizens on the line.
“We also need cooperation and support of Tafa and Maraban Jos communities; they must understand that we are not against them but only discharging our responsibility to shield them from danger.
“We will come up with same plan throughout the state where there is need to ensure stiff punishment for anyone that goes contrary to the law and order. We will not compromise our responsibility to protecting lives and properties of Kaduna citizens. And so, we must all accept the reality before us.”