Updated January 20th, 2020 at 17:25 IST
Nigeria: 4 killed in explosion as thieves breach oil pipeline in Lagos
An explosion in Lagos reportedly killed four people and burned several shops and vehicles after thieves breached a fuel pipeline, said emergency services.
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An explosion in Lagos reportedly killed four people and burned several shops and vehicles after thieves breached a fuel pipeline, said emergency services on January 20. The acting zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that they recovered the bodies of two men, a woman and her child from the scene.
The incident occurred on January 19 in the Abule-Egba area of Nigeria’s commercial hub which engulfed buildings, shops, and vehicles. NEMA official said that the tragic incident was a result of vandals breaking a state-run pipeline to steal petrol.
Hours of intense firefighting
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and State government confirmed the incident and the latter said that fire was successfully doused after several hours of intense fire fighting by the combined teams of Lagos Fire services and other agencies. According to the local government, the fire at Ile Epo Ekoro Road, Abule-Egba was curtailed by 9 pm on Sunday and was finally put off by 11.30 pm.
“An enumeration of the vehicles and properties that were involved this morning commenced,” informed the state government from its official Twitter account.
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The state government appealed to everyone to remain calm but report suspicious activities to curtail the instances of these unfortunate incidents.
In line with Mr. Governor’s Greater Lagos agenda, the government will do its part, while the citizens need to also play their part. We shall continue to keep members of the public abreast with updates @jidesanwoolu #LASG #ForAGreaterLagos pic.twitter.com/0vmG6KgSQt
— The Lagos State Govt (@followlasg)
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Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Executive Governor of Lagos State, expressed his anguish over the unfortunate incident and sent thoughts and prayers for the families and businesses affected. He thanked members of LASEMA and fire services that worked all night to reduce the impact and assured that the vandals will not be shown any mercy.
We must work together to ensure man made incidents like Abule Egba are avoided. Security and information gathering along volatile corridors will increase and a stronger synergy with communities must happen. We all have a role to play.
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu)
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(With inputs from agencies)
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Published January 20th, 2020 at 17:25 IST