2 persons burnt to death, 30 vehicles, houses razed in Lagos petrol pipeline fire

 

Two persons – a Nigerien cobbler, identified simply as Bashiru, and a yet-to-be identified commercial bus driver – were burnt to death, while no fewer than 68 vehicles, houses, shops and kiosks, were razed down Thursday morning in the Ijegun area of the Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, following a petrol pipeline fire.

Scores of residents of the area also suffered severe burns and were rushed to the Gbagada General Hospital, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and nearby private hospitals in the area.

While many residents abandoned their properties and ran for their dear lives in the ensuing pandemonium, others joined the emergency rescue workers to save many of the victims.

Accounts of how the fire started are varied. One stated that the fire started around 5am when a motorist allegedly attempted to start his engine not knowing that petrol had spilled from a vandalised NNPC pipeline in the area, into the drainage channels.

Another had it that the vandals, who punctured the pipeline to siphon fuel, set it on fire when security operatives were closing in on them.

It was gathered that the security operatives had laid an ambush for the suspected vandals, who were siphoning fuel from the punctured pipeline.

According to PUNCH report, the suspected vandals aborted the operation, leaving the punctured point open as fuel spilled all over the area. One of the tankers reportedly used for the operation was said to have also been abandoned by the hoodlums.

It was learnt that the fuel spilled into the gutter connecting the canal on the Catholic Church Street, and Irede Streets in the area.

An eyewitness, Babajide Lawal, said an exchange of gunfire occurred between the vandals and the security operatives, which led to the spillage.

Lawal said, “At midnight, we heard the sound of gunfire and people were shouting and running. But it was later that we discovered that the vandals had attacked the NNPC pipeline and were scooping fuel when the security operatives ambushed them.

“Fuel was gushing out from the tanker and the punctured pipeline and the vandals had to flee from the scene; it was the spilled fuel that caused the fire incident.”

Another eyewitness, Yusuf Ashimiu, said an explosion occurred when a motorist started his car engine, adding that the fire burnt Bashiru and the yet-to-be identified commercial bus driver to death.

The 32-year-old said, “I was sleeping in my shop when I perceived the odour of fuel; I thought some people had stolen fuel and kept it close to my shop, so I went out with my torch light to investigate. But when I checked the gutter, I saw that fuel had filled it up and was flowing into the canal; it was around 5am and no fire had been ignited by then.

“I started warning people of the danger of scooping the fuel, but all of a sudden, an explosion occurred when a motorist, whose car had stopped working, attempted to start the engine.

“The motorist escaped with burns on his hand, but the man, who drove a bus, in an attempt to escape, ran into the canal, and my brother, Bashiru, while trying to escape after waking up, also ran into the canal and the two of them got burnt.”

A resident of the area, Seyi Davies, said people who were coming from a vigil, saw about 13 tankers on the Ijegun Road and were surprised that policemen patrolling the area did not intercept them.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Ambulance Service and the Lagos State Fire Service were at the scene battling to extinguish the fire.

The Chief Executive Officer, LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said two fatalities were recorded and over 30 vehicles burnt, adding that the injured victims had been taken to hospitals for medical treatment.

Oke-Osanyintolu said, “On arrival at the scene of the incident, we gathered that some vandals were engaged in bunkering activities at the Fire Junction, Ijegun, where an NNPC pipeline was buried. The vandals had already siphoned petrol into a 33,000-litre tanker, while a second tanker of the same capacity was being loaded when the security agents intercepted them.

“While trying to escape, some of the siphoned fuel spilled into the drainage channels and the vandals were alleged to have set it on fire in a bid to prevent the security agents from apprehending them. The fire eventually returned to the point where the vandals were siphoning the fuel and the pipeline exploded.” (with PUNCH report)