Some residents of Ajoke Dosunmu Street in Ojuelegba, Lagos are still scared to return home after an explosion from a fuel tanker razed five cars and a storey building on Saturday.
Many occupants on the streets, The Nation learnt, are squatting with friends and families.
The wife of the owner of the burnt storey-building, Mrs Rita Jinadu, who was admitted in a hospital, said she was asleep when the incident occurred.
She said she perceived the fuel around 2am but slept, believing that nothing was going to happen.
Her words: “When I perceived it, I was not comfortable because I don’t use generator in my house. Around 4am, I woke up to use the toilet and immediately, my husband and I saw fire. The fire came directly to our bedroom. We woke our children and ran out of the house. I was naked. It was a neighbour that clothed me. We watched our house burn from a distance.
‘’I wouldn’t have thought of this happening to me because I am at the remote side of the community. It is really pathetic. As I speak, we don’t have anything. My children’s certificates, everything went with the fire. I just collected N250,000 from my thrift collecting business but everything is gone. We were told the government instructed Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to take us to Igando but we don’t know what they have for us. Her son, Oluwashina Jinadu, pleaded with the government to assist them, adding that there is nothing they can do.
He said:”We have been living here for 10 years. I can’t believe we lost everything in one day. My brother and I slept in a friends place while our parents slept in the hospital. We need help; we really do.”
A resident, Matomi Lawal, said when he saw fire, he took his children to his mother’s place on the Island.
He said: “It is still like magic. I couldn’t think straight. It was even after I took my children for safety I returned for my certificates. I thought my house would also burn. I thank the fire fighters.”
Alhaji Fatai Aro, said he thought his life and his family members was going to end.
“We were sleeping when a neighbour woke us. Our door was so stiff and so many things kept going through my mind. We couldn’t sleep. My wife and children went to her mother’s place while I waited behind. I have been using water to put out the remaining debris because smoke has not stopped coming out. It is really unfortunate. My mind is not at rest,” Aro said.
David Alu, who sells printing materials said he lost about N350,000 to the fire adding: “I have nothing. I watched my shop go down. Today (Sunday), some people gave me print papers to sell. I need assistance so I can be on my feet again.”
Another resident simply called Tawakalitu said she would no longer live in the house adding: “I can’t live here anymore because I am scared. I slept in my sister’s place.”
