A motorist, who witnessed the explosion that occurred on the Akure-Owo Expressway in Ilu Abo town in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Mr Richard Solomon, has said he and his motor assistant escaped death because they heeded police warnings.
The explosion, which occurred around 1am on Saturday, destroyed many houses, schools and churches, and cut off the expressway, and left several people injured.
According to the police, the incident was caused by a vehicle conveying explosive devices to Edo State.
Speaking with our correspondent, on Sunday at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure, Solomon said the incident was mysterious.
The 36-year-old truck driver explained that he and his assistant, Jackson Abdullahi, were coming from Jos, Plateau State, and as they were approaching the blast point, they met some riot policemen, who informed them of the danger ahead and warned them not to proceed with the journey.
He stated, “We were coming from Jos, Plateau State. We were conveying some goods to Ogun State and a few metres to the blast spot, a riot policeman flagged us down and told us that there was danger ahead and that we should not move further.
“I then parked the vehicle by the roadside. We sat inside the vehicle and suddenly, we heard a very loud sound and saw fire in the sky and everywhere turned bright as if we were in daytime.
“As we sat down inside the truck, watching what was going on, an object from nowhere flew into our vehicle and cut the leg of my motor assistant.
“Yet, we did not move from the spot. We were a bit confused; we didn’t know what to do; my boy’s leg was bleeding. The blast spot was like half a kilometre to where we were. After the explosion, policemen came to meet us and showed us an alternative route. I later drove the truck to the Shasha Market, Akure, and brought the boy to hospital.”
Solomon, who was not hurt in the explosion, said he had been paying for the treatment of his assistant contrary to the promise of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu that the government would be responsible for the medical bills of all the victims.
He, however, expressed optimism that the government would refund him.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the of the Peoples Democratic Party has called on the Federal Government to conduct a proper investigation into the incident in order to determine the actual cause of the explosion.
This was contained in a statement by the South-West Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Ayo Fadaka.
He said, “We find it curious that explosives are carelessly transported across the nation by all sorts of people, thereby continuously exposing Nigerians to untoward harm unnecessarily; this we condemn outright.
“It is a fact that these developments take lives and destroy property when they occur; we again demand that the government must do an assessment of the number of lives lost and the worth of property destroyed and due compensation must be paid for the negligence responsible for these developments.
“Nigerians must be safe in their homes and nation and if the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) cannot guarantee that, he has no business remaining in power for a minute longer. We loathe and condemn this continuing clueless management of our nation and thus declare our frustration about it.
“Nigeria is not a nation at war and nothing must compromise our peace and security.”
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command on Sunday said the outcome of its investigation would determine the actual cause of the explosion.
No fewer than 70 houses were destroyed, while several persons were injured in the explosion.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Tee Ikoro, said the explosion was not caused by an asteroid as speculated in some quarters.
According to him, the preliminary investigation has shown that the explosion was caused by dynamites being conveyed by a vehicle that was passing through the state.
He said, “The investigation is on; right now, the police from here are in Ibadan, but they must be on their way back, because some people are saying that there were no explosives, that it was something from the sky, but we know that policemen escorted that thing from the explosives unit.
“If there was nothing in the vehicle, what would the policemen be escorting? If the vehicle was not conveying anything, why would they stay there?
“We all knew that there was an explosion and there was a vehicle involved and that the vehicle was shattered beyond recognition. But we are still awaiting the result of the investigation, because the CP said he was going to tell everyone whatever is found in the course of investigation. Since the incident happened in Ondo State, it is our duty to ensure that proper investigation is conducted.”
Meanwhile, Akeredolu has declared that the government will take care of the medical bills of the victims, who are admitted in the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure.
The governor, who was companied by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, gave the order when he paid a visit to the victims in the hospital.
The commissioner stated that six of the victims with varying degrees of injury had been discharged, while the others were still receiving treatment.
Some of the residents of Ilu Abo and Eleyowo communities, whose houses were affected by the explosion, have called on the government for assistance.
The victims, most of whom had their buildings’ roofs blown off, said they had been rendered homeless.
One of the residents, Mrs Temilade Ganiyu, said the roof of her 10-room bungalow had been tore into shreds by the explosion.
“We call on the government to assist us; we cannot bear this alone,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Babatunde Ayeni, said his three-bedroom building was destroyed by the explosion.
“Government’s assistance will cushion the effect on the victims,” he stated.
PUNCH.
