Victims of Ibadan tanker fire disaster at Omitowoju area of Ibadan Oyo State capital, yesterday narrated their harrowing experience, during the inferno that nearly claimed their lives but consumed 12 houses and shops. The victims who were still in sorrowful mood are aunting losses incurred in the unfortunate incident.
Sympathizers besieged the scene yesterday, while the victims wept uncontrollably, soliciting for government assistance so that they could easily recover from the unfortunate incident. In an emotion-laden manner, Mrs Aminat Wasiu, one of the victims while speaking with Daily Sun, said she ran out of the bathroom naked when she heard people shouting her name. “I was taking my bath when I suddenly heard people shouting fire and my name. I had to run out naked because I was too scared. Somebody later gave me a cloth to cover my body.” She said she was shocked to the marrow when she later discovered that both her shop and house were burnt to aches.
Weeping uncontrollably she said: “I have lost all I have worked for to the inferno. My house and my shop got burnt and I watched helplessly as I couldn’t salvage anything. I watched helplessly as my entire belongings were completely burnt.” She estimated her lost goods at about N500, 000. “I am a fashion designer and a provision seller. All the money I kept in the shop and home got burnt, I lost three sewing machines, three deep freezer, 80 crates of soft drinks and my customers clothes.” Another victim, Mrs Aminat Afolabi, a wholesale provision seller, whose shop was also completely razed down told reporters that the first thing that came to her mind was how to escape with her two teenage kids.
Though, God answered her prayer by escaping unhurt, she lost everything in her shop. She said her burnt goods were worth N600,000 “What came to my mind during the fire incident was how to survive together with my family members. But I thank God, we all survived with the grace of God, but I lost everything that I have laboured for over the years. She appealed local and state governments not to abandon the victims as the incident could create hunger in many homes. While commenting on the incident during his sympathy visit, the Chairman of Ibadan North-West Local Government area, Mr Wasiu Olatunbosun, said the incident was devastating and disheartening, wondering why it should happen in that interior part of Ibadan. Olatunbosun, who blamed the incident on negligence on the part of the tanker driver, however expressed gratitude to God that no life was lost despite the magnitude of the incident.
He explained that he responded to the distress call immediately he got the alert by calling on a privately-owned Lebanese company for reinforcement when it became obvious that the men of the State Fire Services were short of water. He stated further that he had summoned the meeting of all the Mogajis in the area so that the local government would know what should be done, adding that an order had been given to tankers of drinkable water to be stationed in the area so that the people could fetch and use so that drinking polluted water could be avoided as a result of the fuel spillage. Fully loaded fuel tanker on Monday spilled its content after it stumbled and lost control, thereby igniting in a terrible inferno.
The driver of the fuel tanker was trying to link Inalende, the adjoining street towards Mokola Roundabout of the metropolis as a result of the construction work going on at Mokola area. No fewer than 12 houses and shops were razed down during the unfortunate fire incident which started around 6.30pm. The fire that trailed the fuel which was flowing through the gutter consumed all the houses and shops at the set-back by the right side of the road.
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