The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gas explosion

  • Two injured, vehicles burnt in gas explosion

    Two injured, vehicles burnt in gas explosion

    A 68-year-old woman, simply identified as Mrs Olawepo and a property manager, Alhaji Nurein Kutere were injured yesterday following gas explosion in a kiosk in Ebute Meta, Lagos.

    The incident occurred around 3am on Jebba Street near Freeman Street, Ebute-Meta.

    The explosion destroyed some properties including three parked vehicles.

    Mrs Olwepo was injured in the face. It affected her eyes, forehead and nose. While scampering to safety, Alhaji Kutere injured his leg.

    Both of them were immediately rushed to the hospital.

    A resident of the area Mr Babatunde Oshodi told The Nation that the explosion was scary.

    Oshodi, a lawyer lamented that the residential area has turned to a market place as kiosks and shops outlets dominate it.

    He said: “Although, we do not know what led to the explosion; all we just heard of was the sudden explosion around 3am and people started rushing out and running away. It took a while before we were able to put out the fire. We got fire extinguishers from a filling station nearby before fire fighters’ arrival. Before this incident, there are some miscreants who smoke on the street till late in the night, who knows if they had carelessly throw the left over close to the kiosk that aided the explosion? This area is supposed to be a residential area but it has been taking over by shop owners. It is uncalled for to have shops selling gas nearby a filling station.”

    Alhaji Kutere told The Nation that he suffered a dislocation while he trying to run away.

    He said: ’’Immediately the news got to us that a gas exploded, I left with my wife. Unfortunately, we were the only one left in the flat. Others had already left their houses. Some were running towards Yaba. I fell from the staircase and my leg got dislocated. I was on a boxer. Immediately we got to the car, I drove off. I did not even know where we should head to.  While I was struggling to enter my car with my wife, I saw some hoodlums trying to rob some people who were running away. I was so confused.’’

    Mrs Olawepo thanked God for saving her life.

    ‘’I thank God that the explosion didn’t take my life. I was rushed to the hospital by neighbours immediately it happened. I thank them all,” she said.

    Ago Egba Community Development Association (CDA) in Ebute Meta Secretary Mr Toyin Kazeem said the CDA members assisted in putting out the fire before the arrival of fire fighters.

    Kazeem said the CDA finds it difficult to stop gas shop owners in the area “because most of the shops are owned by young boys who have nothing to do. Some learnt trade and decided to engage in the business but we did not want them to go into stealing, we decided to allow them’’.

    The CDA Treasurer Abiodun Elegbede said the CDA was never in support of the kiosks and containers on the street.

     He said: ‘’We never support them in the first place, it got to a point people started saying do we want them to result to stealing if we keep going against them and we decided to let it go.

  • Three dead, 10 injured in gas explosion

    Three dead, 10 injured in gas explosion

    THree persons have been confirmed dead after a five-kilogramme gas cylinder exploded at a residential building.

    The incident occurred at 32, Osazuwa Street, off Benin-Agbor Expressway in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

    Among the deceased were two siblings, Favour Godwin, 11 and Odion Godwin, two.

    Four families were affected by the explosion, which occurred on Sunday morning.

    It was learnt that a family knew fire had engulfed the building when it opened its door.

    One of the victims, Ese Egharevba, whose husband and two children were affected, said she was outside when she heard the explosion.

    She said they found the cylinder and took it outside, while her husband warned neighbours not to strike any match or put on stove.

    Ese said unknown to them, a family was cooking inside and when one of their children attempted to open the door, fire engulfed the building.

    A teacher, Christian Unuame, said the owner of the cylinder does not live in the building.

    According to him, the cylinder exploded about 7am. We took it outside and warned everybody not to put on fire. I went to the bathroom to take my bath and a few minutes later fire erupted.

    “Nobody in the house uses gas to cook. It was somebody that kept the cylinder in my neighbour’s room. I’ve just finished my national service. I am teaching.”

    Another victim, who simply identified himself as Bello, could only utter a few words.

    The victims were admitted at Enoma Hospital.

    The mother of the siblings and her eldest daughter were reportedly referred to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

    ‘How I escaped death’ 

    A survivor of a fire, which resulted from gas cylinder explosion, Juliet Chimobi, has said she escaped death because she refused to enter the house after the explosion.
    Three persons were killed and 10 injured in the incident, which occurred about 7am on Sunday at 32, Osazuwa Street, off Benin-Agbor Expressway.
    Two siblings, Favour Godwin, 11 and Odion Godwin, two, were among those who died.
    Juliet told reporters that the cylinder fell inside a neighbour’s apartment, Steven Ebo and exploded.
    She said: “When the incident occurred everybody ran out of the house. They went in later with a warning that nobody should light a match.
    “At that point, I refused to move in with my neighbours. But before I knew it, they ran out again shouting fire, fire, fire.
    “I thereafter discovered that one of our neighbours, who was cooking in his apartment, opened his door, which ignited the gas.
    “The victims attempted to escape through the exit door, but it did not open.”

     

  • Nnewi gas explosion: A tragedy foretold?

    Nnewi gas explosion: A tragedy foretold?

    The explosion was deafening. Palpable fear gripped residents of Nnewi Anambra State. At first, the source and cause of the explosion were unknown; leaving people to resort to assumptions.

    Some conjectured that it could probably be the handiwork of some dissident group. Their supposition could be excused judging by the insecurity situation in the country where some groups derive bestial pleasure in killing innocent citizens.

    When the dust raised by the blast had settled, it was discovered that the explosion was from a gas plant at Intercrop Oil Company Limited, a subsidiary of Chikason Group.

    The blast had caused huge fire outbreak that wreaked havoc on the commercial city of Nnewi on that Christmas Eve.

    Residents ran from pillar to post in for safety and in search of their loved ones who came home for the Yuletide.

    The fire which began at 12 noon on that day almost engulfed the entire community.

    Though there are conflicting figures about the number of casualties, eye witnesses believe that those who lost their lives in the blaze were more than 120.

    But Anambra State Police Command, led by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Hosea Karma, has maintained that only eight people lost their lives, while the Red Cross Society led by Prof. Peter Kachy said only four persons died with many others injured.

    The Managing Director of Chikason Group, Mr. Linus Ilozue, has adopted the figure given by the police command, even though he maintained that none of the company’s workers was affected.

    Ilozue told Southeast Report that God used Agulefo, one of the members of staff in charge of engineering section to reduce the number of casualties; otherwise it would have been more disastrous.

    He said Mr. Agulefo had warned those who came to buy gas for the Christmas at the station to vacate the premises immediately about 20 minutes before the explosion. The instruction, he said, was heeded to by many of the customers.

    However, unknown to some was that two weeks before the explosion, members of staff of the company had held a two-week fasting and prayer session to avoid such incident in the company.

    Southeast Report gathered that the chairman of the company, Sir Chika Okafor had premonition of what took place two days before it occurred.

    An inside source told our reporter that a Man of God had given a message to the chairman on a vision he was given by God, adding that the Man of God urged the company to pray and fast in order to cancel its occurrence.

    After the incident, Southeast Report gathered that the company’s chairman fell sick because of the shock which equally affected many Nigerians.

    But, in a chat with Southeast Report, Ilozue debunked them as rumours. He said since inception for the past 30 years, Chikason Group was a well organised firm, while the one in Abuja has been in existence since the past 20 years, adding that no such incident had occurred in the past three decades.

    He said: “We are going to look into what caused the fire incident because this is the first time such a thing had happened, we are still investigating it.

    “We have a very stable fire unit and that is why it was restricted to this level.”

    One of those who were lucky to have escaped unscathed with her family, Favour Muoghalu, told Southeast Report that only God saved her family.

    She said she evacuated her family from their family house in Nnewi immediately the inferno began immediately she returned to the community from Abuja for the Yuletide. Their house is a pole away from the plant.

    While the fire raged, a woman and her two children died. Eight others were confirmed dead in a block industry along Nnewi Oba–Okigwe Road.

    Also at the mechanic workshop close by, two persons were said to have died, while those in their cars on the road were all affected.

    Some buildings across the road were equally affected, while over 30 vehicles were burnt in the process.

    The traditional ruler of Nnewi, Igwe Kenneth Orizu III, who celebrated his 52 years on the throne and 90th birthday anniversary, was forced to dedicate the church service of his Ofala Festival to the victims.

    The monarch also called on the Federal Government to declare three-day mourning in honour of the dead and injured.

    Speaking with Southeast Report, Orizu said such calamity had never happened in Nnewi community since his reign of 52 years.

    A member of the Igwe-in-Council and one-time chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chief Dan Ulasi, told our reporter that his two cousins survived the fire incident by whiskers.

    He said they were to go to the gas plant to buy gas on that fateful day, but God directed them to go to Onitsha first to finish their transaction, adding that they were in Onitsha when the incident occurred.

    Ulasi thanked God for saving the lives of the two young men whose names he did not mention. He, however, sympathised with the families whose sons and daughters were involved in the inferno.

    When Southeast Report visited the scene of the incident, the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Andy Uba was at the scene.

    He said what happened to Chikason Group affected not only the community, the state but the entire country.

    He said he drove from the airport to the scene to see things for himself, describing it as sad and unfortunate.

    Uba said the National Assembly may consider a law to compel local and state governments to establish fire service stations in every ward. This, according to him, is to curtail such incidents that happened in Nnewi.

  • Fire outbreak claims over 20 lives in Anambra 

    No fewer than 20 persons were confirmed dead Thursday in Nnewi, Anambra State, when fire outbreak gutted a factory belonging to Chikason group of company.

    As at the time the gas station belonging to Chikason group caught fire all the buildings around the gas station were vibrating.

    The Nation gathered that many Nigerians hustling for their daily bread with little or nothing lost their lives while many others were injured.

    Chikason Industry is one of the leading Local Industries in Nigeria and most of his companies are situated in Nnewi, Anambra State.

    Chikason is a leading Job provider in our economy.

    Zico Prince, an eye witness, who spoke with Nation Thursday said; “It’s a pity. Thank God for saving my sister and her family from the incident.”

  • Gas explosion kills seven in Jigawa

    … Two injured

    No fewer than seven persons were killed in Jigawa when a welding gas cylinder exploded in Ruba village of Kafin Hausa Local Government areas in Jigawa state.

    Malam Muhammad Gudado, the state Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Dutse that the incident occurred around 12:23 pm on Sunday, when the cylinder exploded in the market on a market day.

    “Welding gas explored in Ruba village market, Kafinhausa Local Government Sunday around 12:30 pm, killing seven people and injuring two,” Gidado said.

    He explained that the two legs of the welder were seriously damaged by the explosion.

    The Commandant said investigation was still ongoing to ascertain the cause of the explosion .

    According to him, the remains of those who died have been handed over to their respective families for burial.

    He said those injured had been taken to hospital for medical attention by his men operating in the area.

    Gidado therefore advised people to be extra careful while using fire.

  • Gas explosion kills 5 in Suleja

    The police on Friday confirmed the death of five persons during explosion at a gas station in Suleja, Niger state.

    Police Area Commander, Suleja, Mr Abubakar Yahaya, confirmed the death in an interview with news men. He said the police were immediately deployed to the scene to safeguard further loss of lives and property.

    “Some staff of the company said three staff and two customers lost their lives, while those injured were rushed to Sabon Wuse General Hospital.”

    The Medical Director of the Suleja General Hospital, Dr Adedokun Abdulaziz, also confirms that two people sustained high degree burns, and were referred to a specialised hospital in Zaria.

    Eligibility: Court upholds Sen. Dariye’s election as PDP candidate

    A Jos Federal High Court yesterday upheld the participation and election of Sen. Joshua Dariye as the PDP candidate for Plateau Central Senatorial District in the Dec. 7 party primaries.

    The eligibility of Dariye in taking part in the PDP senatorial primaries held in Pankshin, had been challenged by Mr Alexander Mwolwus, the former Special Adviser (SA) to former governor Jonah Jang. Dariye had left Labour Party (LP) and joined PDP where he won the primaries after beating five other aspirants, including Mwolwus.

    In his affidavit, through his counsel, J.S. Iliya, Mwolwus prayed the court to quash the election of Dariye at the primaries on the ground that he was not formally re-absorbed but was granted waiver by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.

    According to him, the state party leadership did not recognise Dariye as a member of the party until the waiver that came shortly before the primaries.

    But Dariye through his counsel, Mr Garba Pwul (SAN), had asked the court to strike out the case for lack of merit, arguing that only a political party has the power to choose its candidates for any election.

    Justice Ambrose Allagoa, in his judgment, said after careful consideration of the arguments put by the counsels in the case, faulted the approach of Mwolwus to the case.

    “The Plaintiff didn’t approach or exhaust the internal mechanism of the party before challenging the election of the defendant (Dariye) in court,” he said.

    He said that by Section 21 (6) the power to choose a candidate for any election rest only with the political party and not an individual; therefore the plaintiff has failed to prove his case.

    Allagoah then declared that “the case is hereby dismissed for lack of merit’’.

    Speaking shortly after the judgment, Pwul described the verdict as a victory to democracy as “it is a thought judgment brilliantly passed’’.

    Iliya in his response said that they would study the judgement closely before making a reaction.

  • Gas explosion claims two UNIBEN workers

    A senior staff in the internal audit department of University of Benin (UNIBEN), Godwin Emualosi and his wife, died at the weekend in a fatal gas explosion in their apartment.

    The late couple was said to have returned home to discover their cooking gas leaking with the smell filling the kitchen.

    They were said to have immediately evacuated their four children to safety in one of the rooms in the three- bedroom apartment they lived.

    Efforts by the late victims to remedy the leakage were reportedly unsuccessful as the cylinder exploded in their faces.

    While the husband died instantly following severe burns on his face and abdomen, the wife was said to have given up the ghost in an undisclosed hospital in Benin.

    The media assistant to the University of Benin, Comrade Maxwell Oshodin, in a post on his Facebook page, described the late Emualosi as a humble, dedicated and hardworking staff.

    He stated that the university had lost a gem.

  • Gas explosion causes panic in Abuja

    Gas explosion causes panic in Abuja

    There was an explosion at the Area 1 Shopping Complex in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    Shop owners, customers and passers-by ran away, thinking it was a bomb.

    A Toyota Rav 4 was burnt beyond recognition.

    An eyewitness, James Omo, told The Nation the incident started about 5p.m., when a gas cylinder exploded.

    He said: “There was a boy filling a gas cylinder; there was a spark and before we knew it, there was flames. There was no fire extinguisher to prevent the fire from spreading and it burnt this vehicle and other gas cylinders around. Firemen put out the fire.

    “The security operatives are here. The good thing is that God took control of the situation.”

    A shop owner, Mrs. Achbong Abu, said: “All of us at the plaza started running. There were several explosions due to the gas tank.”

    The Federal Fire Service (FFF) Operation Commander, Ime Eyo said the cause of the explosion was gas leakage.

    Eyo said: “It was a fire and it has been put under control. The cause of the fire is gas leakage. A vehicle and other gas cylinders were destroyed.”

    Police spokesperson Mrs. Hyelhira Daniel said everything has been brought under control.

    She debunked insinuations it was a bomb explosion.

    Her words: “We were told there was an explosion here and our men rushed to the scene and we noticed it was a gas explosion. For now investigation has commenced but we cannot say anything. There was no casualty.

    “It is not a bomb blast as you can see. If it was a bomb you would have seen something out of the ordinary. No cause for alarm. We are waiting to know the owner of the Gas Mart. It is like a market but our men were able to control the crowd.”