Contraband fuel dump bursts into flames in southern town of Seme Podji near border with Nigeria, officials say, leaving at least 34 people dead and 20 injured.
For decades, Nigeria's low-cost subsidised gasoline was transported illegally by road to neighbouring countries, primarily Benin, where it is resold on the black market by informal sellers. / Photo: TRT World
Nigeria is a major oil producer and fuel smuggling is common inside the country and along its borders, with illegal refineries, fuel dumps and pipelines sometimes causing fires. Benin's Interior Minister Alassane Seidou told reporters a serious fire had ocurred in the town, but did not give details about exactly how it had happened.
When he come to office in May, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu abandoned the long-standing subsidy meant to keep petrol prices artificially low for Nigerians.
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