Skip to main content

Fire displaces 5000 Lagos slum residents

erg
•Also in two other locations
THERE were wailing and gnashing of teeth when fire displaced no fewer than 5,000 residents of Oko Baba, a slum in Ebute Meta, Lagos Mainland.
The Monday night inferno gutted over 1,500 shanties.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the fire, which started about 9.30pm around Kadara/Coates Street, destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
It was learnt that the fire which raged till about 2.37am yesterday, razed five bungalows constructed with sand concrete.
Sources said the inferno, which spread to surrounding buildings and shanties, was caused by an exploded generator.
The LASEMA boss, Femi Oke-Osayintolu, said it took the combined efforts of various stakeholders to arrest the situation early yesterday.
“Over 1, 500 houses made up of shanties were razed by the inferno. Also over 5, 000 people were displaced. Saw Mill equipment worth millions of naira, which were completely burnt down, include Spindle, Saw Machine, Band Saw, Circular Saw and Generating machine,” he said.
Fire fighters, who went to put out the fire, were allegedly molested by hoodlums, who also vandalised their truck.
They were said to have descended on the fire men for coming late.
The Director, State Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe, said two trucks were on ground to fight the fire, adding that the vandalised truck was deployed to complement their efforts.
He described the attack as unfortunate, saying:  “Hoodlums smashed the windscreen of the truck and also man-handled my men.”
“People need to be careful of the way they handle electrical appliances and learn to quickly send alert if there is an emergency,” he added.
Fire also razed down a three-bedroom flat in a two-storey building at 24, Ayoade Street, Bajulaye in Somolu, while homes at the popular Oju-Irin (rail line) in Mushin were also reduced to rubble.
Victims counted their losses when our reporters visited the scenes yesterday.
An Oko Baba resident, Mr. Sango Apena, who said the fire started at 9.30pm from market Street, explained: “I could not believe it was going to spread this much because we tried our best before the fire fighters arrived. A number of things were said to have caused the fire. I really don’t know. I can’t count my loss but I am glad there was no life lost.”
A depressed Mrs Joy Bulagun, a Togolese, said:”There was no power supply, so people went to bed early. I jumped out of the house upon hearing people shouting fire! I was destabilised. I don’t know how my children and I will survive because we have no shelter now.”
Another victim, Mr Luqman Badru, said: “The fire was intense. Our houses, valuables and other things have gone with the fire. It is not our wish that we live here. Government should come to our aid because we know the prohibitive cost of having an apartment in the city.”
The Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Oladele Adekanye, expressed shock as he moved around sympathising with the victims. He also gave money to those who helped to put out the fire.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COMMUNIQUE OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF IBADAN ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE MEETING AT THE POPE JOHN PAUL II PASTORAL CENTRE, ADO-EKITI FROM 11TH TO 12TH AUGUST, 2014

Preamble We, Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ondo, Ekiti, Ilorin, Oyo and Osogbo Dioceses have held our meeting at the Pastoral Institute, Ado Ekiti from 11th till 12th August 2014. We have prayerfully deliberated on matters of pastoral, spiritual, social and political interest and now conclude with the following communique: 1. The Pallium, of the new Archbishop of Ibadan Province We thank God Almighty for the event of the imposition of the pallium, the symbol of the authority of the Metropolitan archbishop, on the new Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin on the 29th of June 2014 in Rome by His Holiness, Pope Francis. We thank the large Nigerian delegation that witnessed the occasion and pray that the Archbishop’s tenure witness unprecedented pastoral progress in our Province. 2. The Ebola Epidemic. The Ebola epidemic is a source of worry to all peoples all over the world. We highly commend the government ...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAS Upholds Suarez's 4-Month Ban

Luis Suarez's four-month biting ban is upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but he is cleared to train. A full explanation of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling will not be published until a later date. Suarez's lawyers argued world governing body FIFA's decision to suspend him from all "football-related activity" for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup was excessive. The Uruguay striker, 27, was also banned for nine international matches. Suarez was a Liverpool player at the time of his clash with Chiellini but has since left Anfield to join Barcelona in a £75m deal. Barcelona's La Liga season starts at home to Elche on 24 August. An eight-game ban would have meant Suarez was unavailable until El Classico at Real Madrid on 26 October. At last week's hearing in Lausanne, Suarez's legal team argued he should be allowed to train with Barca during his suspension and that his ban should be limited to internati...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Great Chinese Exodus Many Chinese are leaving for cleaner air, better schools and more opportunity. But Beijing is keeping its eye on them.

A recent report showed that 64% of China's rich are either migrating overseas or have plans to leave the country. Political scientist James To, who has written a book on the subject, tells the WSJ's Deborah Kan how the Chinese government is using propaganda campaigns abroad to ensure loyalty from overseas Chinese. Even when the emperors did their utmost to keep them at home, the Chinese ventured overseas in search of knowledge, fortune and adventure. Manchu Qing rulers thought those who left must be criminals or conspirators and once forced the entire coastal population of southern China to move at least 10 miles inland. But even that didn't put an end to wanderlust. Sailing junks ferried merchants to Manila on monsoon winds to trade silk and porcelain for silver. And in the 19th century, steamships carried ar...
Post a Comment
Read more