Explosion kills 17 in Lagos community

…Injures 25, over 50 houses, other property destroyed

…Kyari, NNPC top mangers head to Lagos

…Buhari, Lawan, Gbajabiamila, Tinubu condole with victims

Tragedy struck on Sunday at the Ade -Shoba area of Abule -Ado in Amuwo -Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos State, when a suspected gas pipeline explosion resulted in the death of 17 persons with properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

Also, no fewer than 25 persons were injured as a result of the explosion.

Our correspondent in Lagos reports that the explosion which started at about 9 a.m., affected over 50 buildings, including the Catholic owned Bethlehem Girls College, a boarding school situated in the area, and several vehicles were also shattered.

Two Reverend Sisters, a family of three, and five students were said to be part of the fatalities, as many sustained various degree of injuries.

It was gathered that the inferno was triggered by a tipper supplying sand at a building construction site in Ade -Shoba.

The tipper had allegedly developed a fault and stopped close to a cooking gas refilling station, which was not too far from an NNPC gas pipeline.

Eyewitness account had it that the tipper driver had after many failed attempt to start the vehicle, succeeded in turning on the ignition which triggered a spark from the exhaust pipe, leading to the explosion.

According to a Comptroller of the Federal Fire Service, Zone F, Ganiyu Olayiwole, who spoke briefly on the cause of the explosion, the area was already littered with gas emission, which made the fire to spread drastically.

Residents of the area who are now counting their losses, are however divided on the cause of the explosion. While some are of the opinion it was a gas explosion, others are speculating it may be a terrorist attack.

According to a civil servant with the Ministry of Transport, Madukwe Hyacinth, who lost two buildings and four vehicles in the incident, he started perceiving the smell of gas at about 8a.m.

He said he had instructed his gateman to put off his generator set, thinking the leakage was from one of the houses using cooking gas.

Hycainth, who had just returned from London, on Sunday morning, said: “This whole incident is just like a movie scene. I just came back from London this morning and was relaxing in my bedroom when this happened. My wife and my children had gone for morning service, and it was just me and my gate man at home.

“When I started perceiving the smell of gas, I called my security man to put off the generator because there was no light then. I was thinking there was gas leakage from one of the houses around. But shortly after, I heard the sound of the explosion.

“The entire roof of my two buildings went off, the windows were broken, and all I can say now is that I am lucky to still be alive. What if my children and wife were around, God knowns what would have happened. ”

However, another victim, who gave his name simply as Mr. Timothy, was of the opinion that the explosion was not caused by gas emission.

He said: “I lost my house in this attack, and the authorities are saying it was a gas explosion, I don’t believed that. Did you see the level of havoc done?

Over 200 houses affected, several cars destroyed, how can gas explosion blow off the roof of a house without burning it, even house that were afar off were affected. They should investigate this, as I think this is a terrorist attack, camouflaged as a gas explosion.”

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Also speaking on losses incurred as a result of the disaster, the Chairman, Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association, Trade Fair branch, Prince Muritala Olawoye, said hundreds of vehicles were vandalised as a result of the explosion.

He said the mechanic village had also lost three ovens, worth over N10 million each, as he called on the government to come to their aid.

The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, was on ground to access the situation.

Daji said the Nigerian Navy will give the needed support in the investigation into the actual cause of the inferno.

The Rear Admiral, who is also the commander of Operation Awatse, said: “It is very unfortunate that once again we have to see this kind of devastation when we are at peace time and not a time of war.

“The relevant agencies of government carrying out the assessment will determine but from what we have seen on the ground and the evidence gathered so far, there is complexity of some people dealing with cooking gas, that is judging from the several cylinders scattered all over the incident scene.

“Some eyewitness believed that there was gas leakage that had saturated the air, just waiting for something to ignite it and that truck provided it.”

Speaking on what the Navy had done to ensure structures in the right of way of petroleum pipeline were removed, he said: “Our operation to demolish properties on right of way of petroleum pipelines have already been carried out here, but these buildings are outside the pipeline right of way.

“But, looking at the buildings, common since tells us they are not safe, there should be some setbacks, there is need for the relevant agencies of government, particularly the state government, to consider revoking the C of O of buildings that are not given adequate setback from the pipeline right of way.

“The various units of government are here, I saw LASEMA, I saw the anti-bomb unit, the Nigerian Navy explosive department is also here, let’s not be too hasty to come to any conclusion. I believe that at the appropriate time, the main cause of this saddening devastation will be made known.

“As at the time of the report, there were 60 children from Bethlehem school with varying injuries brought to Navy hospital. I am sure those of them who have been stabilised will be discharged hopefully today (Sunday) to go home and those who need follow up treatment will be given.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Director-General Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), has said that 17 bodies have been recovered while 25 casualties are being treated for injuries sustained in the Abule Ado pipeline explosion.

Oke-Osanyintolu made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday

According to him, the agency sympathises with the families of those that died, wishes the injured ones quick recovery and also appeals for calm.

Oke-Osanyintolu urged residents of Abule Ado to shun fake news concerning the explosion.

“We the LASEMA Response Team arrived at the incident scene and it was discovered that a raging fire had displaced several residents who fled their abodes for fear of being caught up in the inferno.

“The primary cause of the explosion is yet unknown.

“There are a number of secondary explosions which have caused significant damage to multiple buildings including the levelling of a Church to the ground and the destruction of St. Margaret’s Girls Hostel.

“The causes are yet to be determined, while security agents are investigating the cause of the explosion,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He said that recovery and rescue activities were carried out by the Ministry of Special Duties, LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Service crew, Federal Fire Service Department, Safety Commission, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and other first responders.

He said that operation was still in progress, saying that updates would continue through the course of operation, while investigations remain on going.

However, the state assembly member representing Amuo -Odofin Constituency 2, Rauf Suliamon, however, faulted emergency responders, saying the response time was poor, leading to the unquantifiable loss.

He said: “I am short of words. I have been here for hours and all I can see is the evacuation of human bodies. We cannot say the exact number of casualties.

We are not concerned about the properties lost but the lives. The response time was very poor. I am in pain as I am standing before you, I am in pains; the response time should have been rapid.”

Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari and other top managers of the corporation have departed Abuja to Lagos for an on-the-spot assessment at the scene of the tragic gas explosion.

The NNPC in a statement made available to the Daily Times on Sunday said that the explosion, which rocked Abule Ado Area of Lagos State in the early hours of Sunday, was as a result of gas explosion.

According to the statement, the explosion occurred when a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant located near the corporation’s system 2B Pipeline Right of Way.

The press release signed by NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, explained that preliminary findings indicated that the impact of the explosion was so huge that it led to the collapse of nearby houses and damage to NNPC pipeline on which efforts are being made to curtail the resultant fire.

Obateru stated that following the report of the explosion, the corporation quickly halted ongoing pumping operations on the Atlas Cove-Mosimi pipeline which was active at the time.

The release explained that NNPC had already mobilised its in-house combined team consisting of Health Safety Environment experts, Medical and Security personnel from its nearby Satellite Depot in Lagos, even as Lagos State Fire Service was also rallied to extinguish the fire.

The release said more fire fire fighting personnel and equipment were mobilised from the NNPC Mosimi Area Office to provide extra fillip to the ongoing operation.

While assuring members of the public and residents of the affected communities to remain calm, the NNPC’s spokesman assured that the temporary shutdown of the petroleum products pipeline would not affect the normal supply of products to the Lagos and its environs.

He said the fire, currently burning at controlled condition, was being fought headlong, saying a detailed assessment of the incident was underway to establish the extent of damage to the pipeline.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with families who lost loved ones, and all those affected by explosion in Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, on Sunday.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday, the President condoled with the Lagos State government and all residents affected by the unfortunate incident.

President Buhari said: “I have received with sadness the news of this unfortunate incident which caused loss of lives and property.

“A misfortune of whatever scale anywhere is a tragedy to the country, and while the NNPC makes efforts to determine the cause of the incident, I send my deepest and profound sympathises to the victims, their families, government and people of Lagos State.”

Also, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has commiserated with victims of the explosion that occurred on Sunday morning at Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Lawan in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, on Sunday, condoled with all those who lost loved ones in the incident.

He also sympathised with those who were injured and those who lost property to the inferno.

The Senate President commiserated with the Lagos State Government over the tragic incident and prayed to God to comfort all those who were affected.

Lawan called on the relevant authorities and agencies to get to the root of the incident with a view to forestalling a recurrence.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has also expressed sadness over the pipeline explosion in Abule Ado, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, on Sunday.

Gbajabiamila, who sympathised with the victims of the explosion, called for calm as the state government makes frantic efforts to ascertain the cause of the incident.

The Speaker commended the Lagos State Government as well as relevant agencies for taking action following the explosion.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the Speaker said everything should be done to avert the reoccurrence of such incident in future.

“My heart goes out to the people of Abule Ado, especially the victims of the explosion, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area. I also sympathise with the people and Government of Lagos State over the incident

“May I call on all the agencies of government to do diligent work to ascertain the cause of the explosion to avert a reoccurrence,” Gbajabiamila said.

Also, All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has condemned the pipeline explosion in Festac Town and Abule Ado areas of Lagos, which reportedly killed 15 persons.

He commiserated with families and relations of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate occurrence.

In a statement Sunday night by his Media Office signed by Tunde Rahman, Asiwaju Tinubu said all those who had a hand in the unfortunate incident must be punished no matter how highly placed.

He said: “This tragedy should not have happened. Those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident did not deserve to die so gruesomely.

“I strongly condemn this incident. I commiserate with families and relations of those who died. I also sympathise with those who lost their valued property.

“In their memories and in order to avert similar occurrence in future, the authorities must get to the root of this incident and curb incessant pipeline explosion in the area.

“All those who had a hand in this explosion, including those who acted in ways to put lives at risk and hard-earned possessions in jeopardy, must be punished, no matter how highly-placed they may be.”