By Ben Ogbemudia, Linus Aleke and Cross Udo
An explosion in Kano yesterday left scores of people dead, and heavy controversy in its wake on the causes of the incident.
The federal and state governments said the explosion occurred in the early hours of the day in the ethnoreligious diverse neighborhood of the Sabon Gari area of the state capital.
There have also been conflicting reports on the causes of the explosion.
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While the residents of the area attribute the horrific episode to a terrorist attack, the Nigeria Police Force said that it was just a gas explosion.
In a statement, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said no fewer than nine people were confirmed dead in the explosion.
According to the Federal Government, nine corpses have been recovered from the scene.
But confirming the incident, state Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, in an update yesterday evening, put the casualty future at five.
He also disclosed that the incident occurred at a welding workshop owned by a 25-year-old indigene of Enugu State, Vincent Ezekwe.
“Items so far recovered after the incident include welding cylinder, carbide, and other welding items”, the commissioner explained, adding that search-and-rescue was ongoing.
Later fielding questions from newsmen, shortly after the unfortunate incident, the commissioner disclosed that the authorities had commenced an investigation to determine the cause, impact, and measures to be taken.
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On his part, the state Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Dikko, earlier confirmed that only four persons died in the explosion, which he attributed to a gas explosion, contrary to popular views that it was a terrorist attack.
The spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Manzo Ezekiel, quoting the Director-General, Mustapha Habib, said his boss had visited the scene of the explosion and coordinated rescue operations.
Ezekiel said, “Nine dead bodies have been recovered so far from the rubbles of a collapsed building beside a primary school, following explosions from a gas cylinder at Aba Road in Sabon Gari area of Kano.”
According to him, “the Director-General National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, was at the site of the incident and coordinated the rescue operations. He mobilised excavators being used for the rescue operations and said the NEMA team will ensure complete removal of the rubbles to retrieve all trapped persons.
“Furthermore, the DG instructed the NEMA rescue team to remain at the site until the conclusion of the rescue and to work together with security agencies and other response organisations present at the location.
“NEMA is presently coordinating the rescue operations involving members of the Nigerian Red Cross, military, the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Kano SEMA”.
*Mourning
Following the incident, sorrow and mourning took over activities in the state.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, expressed mourning for the casualties of the gas explosion.
People mobilised to evacuate victims trapped in the collapsed building.
NEMA, a parastatal under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, announced that a building also collapsed as a result of the explosion, while nine dead bodies had so far been recovered from the rubbles of the collapsed building close to the explosion site.
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The minister also commiserated with the families of the victims of the tragedy, describing it as “painful and calamitous”.
Farooq said, “This is a tragedy. A gas explosion, a collapsed building, the death of some victims, while some people are still trapped in the rubbles… This is a very sad incident. I sympathise with the families of the dead, and the government of Kano State.”
She added, “The spate of explosions in the country recently is alarming, and we call on the appropriate authorities to do something quickly to stop further explosions and building collapse in the country.”
A political party, the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), yesterday urged governments to relocate dealers of combustible materials away from school premises.
NNPP said the safety of all Nigerians should be a priority in considering business premises permits and approving schools in tandem with Section 14(2)b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
Reacting to the gas explosion in Kano State, the NNPP, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Agbo Major, said it received with shock the news of a massive gas cylinder explosion.
“Our heart bleeds over this tragedy that affected a nursery and primary school with traumatized children running for their lives.
“NNPP is deeply saddened over the gas explosion and pray to God Almighty to console, comfort, and strengthen families of the deceased and speedy recovery to the injured,” the party said.
It urged security agents and relevant government agencies to ensure that those trapped in the debris of the collapsed buildings are rescued and receive adequate medical treatment.
NNPP further appealed to the government to ensure that the traumatised school children receive proper medical care, adding, “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this deadly explosion.
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*’Not a bomb attack’
The Kano State Police Commissioner was quoted as saying “It is not a bomb explosion, it was a gas cylinder explosion. We know this because one of the first victims was a welder in the area”.
However, BBC Hausa also quoted the President of Sabon Gari market, Nafi’u Indabo, as saying the explosion affected many people, including schoolchildren.
Pictures and videos of the incident went viral on social media yesterday. People put their hands on their heads, signifying sorrow on top of the building which collapsed as a result of the explosion.
*’It was a terrorist attempt’
A teacher in the affected school, however, said on TV yester night that the incident was not an explosion from a welder’s shop. According to him, it was the result of a ‘bomb blast’ which exploded before it reached its target – the school.
