Residents along the LASU/Isheri Road,
Iyana-Odo Bus Stop on Igando axis of Alimosho council area of Lagos
State, were thrown into panic yesterday, following the explosion of a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC’s pipeline, which resulted in fire.
Residents and motorists were seen scampering for safety as the
fire raged furiously.
Those earlier unaware of the incident were woken to reality by the
thunderous sound and fleeing crowd. The burnt facility, it was reported,
connects the Ayobo community in the Ipaja end of Lagos mainland.
According to an official of the Lagos State Emergency Management
Agency (LASEMA), the pipeline was tampered with by unknown vandals,
resulting in the inferno.
But for the swift response of men of the Lagos State Fire Service and other rescue operators, the fire would have spread to buildings close by.
There were different versions as to how the explosion occurred. A version had it that there had been a leakage in one of the pipelines, which spilled petroleum product into farmlands.
When farmers set the bush on fire in preparation for the new planting season, the explosion occurred.
Another version had it that some persons were scooping the spilled product when one of them threw a stick of cigarette away.
When the state’s Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, arrived the scene, he said: “I can see constructions close to the pipeline’s right of way. Perhaps people carry out these constructions without knowledge of the implication.”
It was a relief of sorts for residents to learn that no life was lost
to the explosion.
It was observed by emergency responders on ground that no corpse was
found on the scene of the explosion, confirming that the incident
claimed no life.
Security officials were also seen in and around the area ensuring the
safety of lives and property as well as managing the situation.
Some vandals were reportedly seen at the location prior to
yesterday’s explosion but it could not be ascertained if it was the group
that ignited the fire.
LASEMA Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kehinde Adebayo, who confirmed
the incident, said the inferno had been put out, warning residents to
steer clear of the area.
He added that the police had launched an inquiry to unravel the
immediate and remote causes of the explosion as well as bring the
perpetrators to justice.
The latest incident comes barely three years after a similar occurrence
at Ije-Ododo in the Ojo area of the state instigated by suspected
vandals.
In the last 30 years, over 20,000 people have died and property worth billions of naira lost to pipeline blasts nationwide.