The inferno destroyed goods and property, including equipment worth millions of naira.
Some of the affected items included motorcycles, bicycles, and herbal medicine worth millions of naira.
The bus was heading to Lokoja from Abuja on Sunday morning but lost control and rammed into the tanker on the other lane.
Investigators believed the fire might have started with a machine referred to as a “honey badger”, which he described as a “vacuum that sucks the manure and water out”.
Following the rescue, the fire brigade tried to resuscitate the victims, as they were thought to be suffering from smoke inhalation.
The actual cause and losses of the inferno, which started at about 1:30 a.m. on December 24, is yet to be ascertained.
Mr Abdullahi said the service responded to 44 rescue calls and 16 false alarms from residents of the state.
Seven firefighting helicopters are currently battling the flames that have affected some 250 hectares of the forested area.
