Accidents
4 Dead, 70 Vehicles Burnt In Fuel Tanker Explosion In Rivers – Police
…Gov. Fubara visits accident scene, describes it as tragic and sad
The Police Command in Rivers says four people and over 70 vehicles were burnt in Friday’s fuel tanker explosion in the state.
The explosion occurred along Eleme section of the East-West Road in the state at about 7:30 p.m.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesman of the command, told the newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday that the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.
A correspondent who visited the accident scene reports that there were severely burnt vehicles and charred bodies of victims on the road.
The incident happened a few meters from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery.
There was an extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government.
State government trucks, accompanied by police and Federal Road Safety Commission officials, were seen evacuating the burnt vehicles to facilitate traffic flow.
An eyewitness, Onyeka Ubani, who narrowly escaped the explosion, stated that while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.
“The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety.
“We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process.
“I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke,” a distraught Ubani said.
Another eyewitness, David Jumbo, said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-west Road when the incident occurred.
He narrated that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire which stretched over 200 metres.
“It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies.
“While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles.
“Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape,” he recounted.
Jumbo attributed the accident to the recklessness of truck drivers who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction.
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, who visited the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad.
He urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road.
“This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.
“I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses.
“This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution,” Fubara said.
…After Speedboat collides with Fishing boat at Akede
A boat mishap at Akede community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa has claimed the lives of two people.
The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a speedboat collided with a fishing boat, leading to the death of two women on board.
Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the Police in the state, DSP Musa Muhammad, said that the speedboat driver was in police custody for questioning.
The Press gathered that all the 13 passengers on board the ill-fated speedboat were still missing.
It was learnt that the speedboat, plying Anyama-Ijaw Lobia-Foropa route in Southern Ijaw, collided with a fishing boat.
A source said that some divers were already in the water to rescue the missing passengers.
The source said the speedboat named Meeting Marine, powered by a 115-horsepower engine, was traveling from Anyama Ijaw to Lobia and Foropa communities when it collided with a fishing boat at the Akede community waterfront.
It was also gathered that a woman and a young girl on board the fishing boat drowned.
The Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in Bayelsa State, Mr Ogoniba Ipigansi, also confirmed the incident, saying that the union and divers were in Akede community waterfront for rescue mission.
Ipigansi confirmed the death of a woman and a young girl on board the wooden fishing boat, saying that the 13 passengers on board the speedboat were yet to be accounted for.
He said all the passengers of the speedboat wore life jackets, expressing hope that they may be rescued.
…As Islamic leaders in Kwara condemn the killing of Hafsoh Lawal
Incessant road crashes have sadly continued to take severe tolls on Nigerians, with the latest report showing that 10 persons have died in Yobe, while three others sustained injuries in an accident that occurred on Damaturu- Maiduguri Road.
The State police command spokesman, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed this in Damaturu on Tuesday.
He said that the incident occurred at a security checkpoint in Warsala Town around 10 am on Tuesday when a truck loaded with cement and passengers hit a car before it plunged into a ditch.
Abdulkarim said that of the 13 passengers on the trailer,10 died instantly, while the three sustained injuries.
He said the injured had been conveyed to the Specialist Hospital, Damaturu for treatment.
The spokesman said that the investigation revealed that the truck allegedly lost control and rammed into a car at the checkpoint before it made its way into the ditch.
He said the car driver, who was alone in the car, survived the accident unhurt, but the car was damaged.
In another development, Islamic leaders in Kwara, under the aegis of Kwara State Council of Ulama, on Tuesday condemned the alleged killing of Hafsoh Lawal by one Abdulrahman Bello for ritual purposes.
The leaders included the Chief Imam of Offa, Sheikh Muyideen Hussein; Chief Imam of Malete, Abdullah Ibrahim; the Ajanasi of Ilorin; Chief Imam of Gambari, among others
Lawal, a final-year student of Kwara College of Education, was allegedly killed by Bello for rituals.
Sheikh Mohammad Salih, Chief Imam of Ilorin, made the condemnation on behalf of the council in Ilorin during a news conference.
Salih appealed to the police command in Kwara to be thorough in its investigations.
According to him, anyone found culpable in a criminal act should be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others with criminal intentions.
“We are interested in the course of justice for Hafsoh and her family. On our own part, we will not relent in assisting the security agencies in getting to the root of the matter.
“Nigerians should avoid the profiling of any community for the sinful acts of a few individuals in our midst.
“Ilorin and indeed, Kwara, are not homes for ritualists. We are known for our Islamic culture, of which ritualism is not a part.
“Ritual acts are offensive to all known religions. We must all rise up and be counted in the war against it,” he said.
The chief imam also said there would be a meeting with various Muslim leaders and clerics to prevent a similar occurrence in Kwara and the nation.
According to Salih, efforts will also be doubled in preaching the correct attitude towards the propagation of Islam.
“Since the unfortunate incident, we have stepped up counselling activities of alfas and other clerics on the best conduct in preaching Islam that Kwara and Ilorin have been known for through the ages.
“The council, therefore, condemns the murder of Miss Hafsoh Lawal by Alfa Abdulrahaman Bello for ritual purposes.
“We commiserate with the family of Hafsoh, who has been thrown into mourning due to the ungodly act of Abdulrahman. In this moment of grief, it is only Allah who can console the family,” he said.
The chief imam also commended Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara for the peaceful co-existence which encouraged the growth and development of the state.
… following electric power surge!
On Tuesday, fire gutted some shops in the Ladipo market, destroying goods worth several millions of Naira.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the agency received distress calls through its 767 and 112 emergency toll-free lines at about 00.09hrs concerning the fire outbreak.
”LASEMA immediately activated the state’s emergency response plans and response team from its Cappa Base.
”Upon arrival at 00.16hrs at the scene of the incident, it was discovered that a warehouse surrounded by shops was gutted by the fire.
”Investigations revealed that the inferno was caused by an electric power surge after public electricity power supply was restored to the area,” he said.
Oke-Osanyintolu said that there was no record of injury or loss of life during the incident.
”Valuable goods worth a fortune were, however, destroyed by the inferno,” he said.
He said that the goods destroyed include electronics, generating sets, bicycles, auto spare parts, phones, and home appliances.
The permanent secretary said that occupants of the warehouse have been sensitised on the appropriate safety measures to take to prevent a re-occurrence in the future.
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