Importer of the fireworks that shattered the Christmas fun of residents of Jankara in Lagos Island has been declared wanted by victims of the fire incident. But the man has gone underground to avoid the wrath of the affected traders and residents.
Also, security experts have described as unfounded the rumour that the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, was responsible for the Boxing Day explosions that rocked a section of Lagos Island. The incident that left a seven-year-old boy dead and 40 others with of injuries, razed more than 10 houses, vehicles, goods and other properties. The incident that occurred on Boxing Day brought sorrow and tears to many people in Ojo Giwa/Oko Awo, Okoya and Oroyin Streets, even as death toll may rise beyond the current three.
Traders and residents who spoke with Sunday Sun said the importer must account for his sin because of what they lost in the inferno caused by his products. “The man must come and pay. He has caused serious problem for us,” they insisted. Speaking with Sunday Sun on telephone, former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, blamed corrupt government officials for the explosions of last Wednesday, saying the fire was largely preventable and had nothing to do with terrorists or armed robbers.
“The problem is that the fireworks were stored in residential quarters, which should not be. When you have such things stored that way, the tendency is that when one of them explodes, it will affect others and you will get a big bang as a result. “It has nothing to do with Boko Haram. I think we are even giving unnecessary prominence to the group. The fire was accidental; but for the carelessness of those traders, it could have been prevented,” he said. A trader that gave his name simply as Chima, said he could not quantify how much he lost to the inferno. Chima, who sells flasks at the three-storey building where the ‘explosives were stored, said he was not around when the incident occurred.
“The few things I have here were retrieved by the security agents who came when it happened and today, I went in myself to bring out some. It’s a big disaster for me. For now I don’t even know how much I have lost”, he said. Another trader, Obinna, was furious as he stated that he lost all his wares, stressing that he doubted if he could ever recover from the disaster. Yet another angry victim was the owner of Gunsemade Plaza at 10, Okoya Street. The torched three- storey plaza was among the buildings marked for demolition to prevent further disaster. Residents said the house was built about four months ago and that the owner spent so much to ensure that the foundation was solid enough.
“The man spent so much on the foundation. Everybody wondered what kind of building he wanted to build on it”, one of them said. It was gathered that when the importer of the fireworks heard of the fire incident, he came around but quickly took to his heels when he discovered that his store was the cause. “Somebody took his vehicle to him. He could not wait, he ran away”, a resident said. An official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) told Sunday Sun it was due to the heat inside where the products were stored. “The man offloaded three containers three days ago.
I think the explosion happened due to heat; not because anybody threw banger there”, said Mr. Osho Yusuf. But some residents reasoned that only dynamites could have caused the level of destruction and not fireworks. “See the way it destroyed vehicles and scattered the houses. What kind of banger is that? It’s dynamite; the type they use in breaking stones”, a resident said. Meanwhile, a rescue official at the site has hinted that the fumes from the scene of fire could cause an epidemic. “There could be epidemic here.
That is why we advise people to keep off”, he said. But what could be referred to as a miracle in the incident was that a Catholic Church at the scene was not torched. Only some of the window glasses of the church, Saint Patrick Catholic Church, on Okoya Street and near Gunsemade Plaza that was seriously affected, were shattered. Witnesses said that the impact of the explosion affected the window. “You should fear God. Imagine that this church is not affected despite all the destruction. Just only the windows ”, said one of them.
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