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Explosion rocks Lagos
10 buildings collapse
21 feared dead, 60 injured

Obasanjo, Tinubu, others visit scene
By Ben Ukwuoma, Idowu Ajanaku, Tunji Oketunbi, Yinka Aderibigbe, Chukwuma Muanya, Wole Shadare and Alex Olise

TRAGEDY struck again in Lagos yesterday with a mysterious explosion rocking the densely populated Idumagbo area of the city and vibrating through Victoria Island and Ikoyi. Instantly the explosion claimed at least 20 lives and left about 4 houses in ruins.

What started as a bright, tranquil Sunday suddenly turned chaotic and bloody. A reign of tears then ensued as the dead and the broken were being brought out of the ruins.

Several people were still trapped as at last night, while about 60 were being treated for various degrees of injuries. Some of the injured victims have been referred to the Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi in the state.

President Olusegun Obasanjo flew in to the state yesterday evening to personally assess the extent of the tragedy while the governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called for calm.

The explosion came barely a week after the first anniversary of the January 27, 2002 bomb explosions in the state, in which about 1,000 people were reported dead.

It was not clear as at last night if yesterday’s explosion was caused by a bomb or domestic gas, as variously claimed by the residents.

The effect was devastating. A four-storey twin-building on Numbers 12 and 28, Idumagbo Avenue, was reduced to rubble and an extensive damage was recorded in neighbouring area, including Ikoyi and Victoria Island which were badly shaken.

The explosion is believed to have occurred at the ground floor of 12, Idumagbo Avenue, which housed Prudent Bank Plc. Six other buildings in the areas, which similarly housed banks including Oceanic Bank Plc, NBM Bank Plc and First Atlantic Bank Plc, were equally shattered.

Also badly affected were about six other four-storey buildings on Pedro Street, directly behind Idumagbo Avenue.

A team from the police bomb disposal unit was at the scene yesterday to identify the cause of the explosion.

Thick smoke billowed while the louvres of many houses around the area were shattered.

The death toll from the incident is expected to rise as many people were still trapped in the rubble.

Roads leading to the street were sealed off by the police to prevent looting by urchins, commonly called Area boys.

Thousands of people ran helter-skelter amid fears that more buildings in the neighbourhood might give way as a result of the explosion.

The scene was like a war front. Residents, apparently not satisfied with the response of the state, threw stones at the detachment of the police that came for the rescue mission at about 2.p.m.

Men of the Federal Fire Service, the Nigerian Red Cross and other agencies, were on hand to lend helping hands.

Wailings were the order of the day as tears flowed freely at the sight of blood.

One of the residents, Mr. Lukman Tijani, told The Guardian that the explosion happened at about 11.15 a.m.

He said: "I was inside the house washing my clothes when suddenly, I heard a noise, like a bomb. By the time I came out, smoke had taken over the area. I only managed to come out and join the people rescuing the victims".

One of the early callers at the scene was the state’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Leke Pitan. He expressed shock at the impact of the explosion and declared the area a "disaster zone" and appealed to residents to vacate their homes, because of the likelihood that such buildings might give way as a result of the impact of the explosion on them.

Like the January 27, 2002 explosion, many women ran barefooted, crying and shouting the names of their children who apparently might have gotten missing in the confusion that followed the explosion.

Dr. Pitan said that the incident was unfortunate coming only a few days after the first anniversary of the Ikeja bomb explosion in Lagos.

His words: "The impact of the explosion has caused pain and anguish for the people."

Other government officials who visited the scene included Mr. Dele Alake, Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Kemi Nelson for Women Affairs and Mr. Kayode Anibaba, the Planning Commissioner. The state government immediately set up temporary accommodation for the displaced persons on Glover Street, by the City Hall.

Also at the scene were Mr. Funso Williams, Lagos State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate and the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Murtala Ashorobi.

Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, the president of the Red Cross who supervised the rescue mission said he could not give the number of those who died in the incident.

Besides, Ijewere said the situation called for caution.

"I don’t want to blame anybody or group. The first thing now is to save the lives of those trapped", he said.

Hoodlums, and idle hands engaged the police in a struggle to gain entrance to the affected banks. Although they were eventually contained, the distraction delayed efforts to put off the surging flame.

The Lagos State Accident Emergency Services, Red Cross, Lagos State Transport Control Agency, fire services were also at the scene in an attempt to rescue victims.

At the General Hospital, Lagos Mortuary, it was learnt that 16 dead bodies had been deposited by the Lagos State Accident Emergency Ambulance Service.

The situation was not different at the out-patient department, where doctors, nurses and other auxiliary workers were battling to treat patients with injuries which ranged from lacerations, burns, head injuries to bone dislocations.

President Obasanjo rushed to the city, to personally assess the damage.

The President, who arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Presidential lounge at about 5.30 p.m., wore a gloomy look and was accompanied by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun. He declined comments from journalists.

But Balogun pledged to unravel the cause of the explosion.

He expressed sympathy to the bereaved families, saying: "What happened was very, very unfortunate and we sympathise with their families."

President Obasanjo who was dressed in a grey caftan, supported himself with a walking stick, following the injury he sustained last week after a game of squash, hurriedly entered his waiting black Mercedes Benz official car and departed for the scene of the incident.

He had arrived aboard a Falcon Presidential aircraft, marked 5N - F90. He was due to return to Abuja yesterday.

Some of the witnesses who spoke to The Guardian at the scene of the explosion said the house, Number 12 Idumagbo Street, where the explosion occurred was the family house of the former deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu.

A witness said: "The incident happened at about 11.15 am when we heard the sound of an explosion. We believed it was a bomb that was planted there, and before we knew it, the whole building collapsed on people and the adjourning buildings also followed suit."

On the conviction that it was a bomb that was planted, one said: "It is only a bomb that could explode the way it did, bringing down almost four buildings."

Another story had it that it was as a result of gas explosion that was ignited by unknown persons.

There was an increasing fear from residents that more buildings might be affected because of the closeness of buildings to each other in the neighbourhood.

It was a pitiable sight as people wailed uncontrollably, when more bodies were retrieved from the debris and charred remains of people were quickly taken in an ambulance to the mortuary.

As at 4.20 p.m., men of the Federal and State fire services were battling to put off the fire from spreading to other buildings and to rescue trapped persons.

Also, the presence of the police and men of the fire service prevented looting and brought fire from the explosion under control as street urchins, popularly called area boys almost took advantage of the chaotic situation to loot.

The Lagos State government, touched by the loss of lives, has declared a state of emergency in the affected area to ensure that nobody is affected in case of further explosions.

It equally directed that massive fire extinguishing equipment be brought to fight the raging inferno.

An occupant of the one of the affected buildings, who simply gave his name as Tajudeen, amid wailing, gave an account of how he survived the blast.

His words: "I was about entering the building (12 Idumagbo) when I heard a big bang blowing up to the third floor of the building. Suddenly, I saw the house crumbling like a pack of cards. I ran like I had never done before. Not quite long, three other buildings also came down."

Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose entire cabinet was mobilised to the site, expressed shock at the incident.

In a four-paragraph statement, personally signed by him, the Governor expressed concern over the incident.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos General Hospital, Dr. Olayide Ogunsulire, told The Guardian that dead bodies had been deposited at the mortuary, while 50 others were on admission in the hospital. About 40 others had been treated and discharged. Most of the victims suffered head injuries.

She also revealed that one of the casualties, a lady, who suffered spinal cord injuries, had been referred to Igbobi Orthopaedic Centre. Some others were moved to the Ikeja General Hospital, which served as a back-up.

The wife of the governor, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, on a visit to the Lagos Island General Hospital, donated N50,000 to facilitate the medical treatment of the lady who suffered spinal injuries. She promised to give similar relief to other victims.

Ogunsulire gave assurance of proper treatment for the victims, adding: "We have enough medical personnel on ground and so far, we have been able to contain the emergency."

But the cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained as at yesterday evening. The state’s Information Commissioner, Mr. Dele Alake, who spoke to journalists at the scene, said: "We are still trying to verify the real cause of the explosion. For now, it is certain it was a blast or explosion. But what I cannot tell you now is whether it was a bomb blast."

President Obasanjo and Governor Tinubu, who were also at the scene, gave assurance that a panel would be raised this morning to unravel the cause of the explosion.

The President also condoled with the bereaved families, while assuring that efforts would be made to rescue those still trapped.

The state’s Police Commissioner, Mr Young Arebamen, has ordered anti-riot mobile policemen and men of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, to ensure adequate security around the commercial centres, especially banks, to forestall looting by hoodlums.

He urged Lagos residents to be calm as rescue operators continued their work at the blast site.

Various people besieged the Lagos Island General Hospital, apparently to check whether their relations were involved.

The Guardian saw at the hospital, eight dead bodies from the blast site that were deposited. The cause of death was mainly head and limb injuries.

As at the 8p.m, about 12 critically injured persons were still being brought into the hospital from the site.





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Date Added: Thursday, January 30th, 2003
Contributed by: RCN Administrator