The Department of Petroleum Resources on Sunday, vowed to clampdown
on any illegal gas retailers across the 23 Local Government Areas of
Kaduna State, adding that operators of gas not licensed by the agency
risk prosecution.
The DPR’s Northwest Operations Controller, Alhaji Isa Tafida, made
this known in Kaduna on Sunday, following Saturday’s gas explosion
which occurred in a business premises along Kachia Road, Sabon Tasha, in
Chikun local Government Area.
Tafida said the agency would no longer tolerate the illegal
activities of gas retailers in the State and other States under the
northwest zone comprising Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto
and Zamfara.
He described as unfortunate the incident which led to the death of no
fewer than five persons, including the Chairman, Nigeria Atomic Energy
Commission, Prof. Simon Mallam.
Mallam was said to have taken his grandson to a barber’s shop close
to where the retail gas outlet was located when the incident happened.
The fate of the Professor’s grandson was yet unknown as of the time of filing this report.
Alhough the cause of the explosion has not been ascertained, the
State government, according to the Commissioner for Internal Security
and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, the state would investigate the
matter.
Tafida, while addressing reporters shortly after on the spot
assessment of the damage at the scene of the incident, expressed concern
over the unwholesome activities of illegal retail gas vendors in the
State.
He lamented that the unfortunate incident happened few days after the
agency went to sensitize the citizens of the state on the danger of
patronizing illegal retail gas outlets in the state, warning the public
against such activities.
According to him, the agency in collaboration with security agencies
will go all out to dislodge illegal retail gas outlet operators and
prosecute them.
He noted that preliminary investigation indicated that the facility
in question where the explosion took place, was an illegal retailing gas
vendor that “engages in illegal storage of LPG (cooking) and acetylene
(industrial gas).
Tafida said, “That the operators of the illegal facility is not known
to the DPR, and that the facility is not licensed by the DPR.”
The DPR boss also appealed to residents to report any illegal gas
vendor to avert further recurrence of the unfortunate incident with the
view to protecting lives and properties.
Meanwhile, the agency has condoled with the families of “those that
lost their lives and sympathizes with those that sustained injuries”
during the incident.