22 April 2014, Lagos – Residents of Ijoko area along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway have deserted their homes following a leakage from the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) in the area.
Our correspondent learnt that palpable fear gripped the entire community when the gas leakage was noticed around 7.30pm on Monday as a result of a ruptured pipeline caused by the construction activities of the workers handling the construction work on the Sango-Ijoko-Ojodu road.
The people, who are jittery over possible explosion scampered to safety, with many of them abandoning their homes.
The ruptured gas also created serious traffic gridlock along the under- construction Ijoko road, with motorists being forced to bypass the ruptured scene.
As at press time, some residents were seen gathering in different groups far away from the ruptured site for fear of explosion.
An eyewitness, Bimbo, who said the entire neighbourhood was in palpable fear, urged the necessary agency to urgently repair the damaged gas pipeline.
According to her, “You can see that it is very dangerous as gas is gushing out of the pipeline with full force and that can lead to serious explosion around the area.”
Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the South-west, Ibrahim Farinloye, urged residents to desist from acts that could spark off explosion in the area.
When contacted, the Ogun State police public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was unaware of the incident and promised to contact policemen at Sango Police Division to secure the environment and prevent people from getting close to the ruptured pipeline.
– Leadership