A bereaved father, Suleiman Sani, has narrated how he lost his 25-year-old son, Nura Suleiman, who was about to wed in last Tuesday's tanker explosion in Majia, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Sani said his son had been engaged to his fiancee, but he died without waiting to see their wedding day.

The bereaved father, who spoke with Sunday Vanguard, said his son rarely stayed out late, but, on the fateful day, it was as if destiny called him to the scene of the accident.

He recounted the fateful night, "I was in my sleep when they woke me up around 11:30 pm to inform me about what was happening that a tanker carrying petrol fell. Immediately I stepped out, I saw the fire outbreak. I got to the scene and discovered they were evacuating the victims to the hospital. It was later that I was told that my son also was at the scene of the explosion.

"We searched all through for my son till around 3 am, but we couldn't find him. We later saw him at dawn and he was already dead.

"When I was told he went to the scene, I knew it was destiny because my son was not in the habit of staying out late hours. And if he entered the house, let's say by 10 pm he wouldn't come out until daybreak, even if you called him on his phone. But it's destined that he will die in the unfortunate incident.

"He had been engaged to his fiancee and we were waiting to fix the day for the wedding ceremony when this happened to him."

Meanwhile, the death toll from the incident has risen to over 170 while over 70 were receiving treatment at various hospitals scattered across Dutse, Birnin Kudu, Gumel and Hadejia all in Jigawa, Nguru in Yobe and AKTH and Dala orthopedic in Kano State.