Some eyewitnesses at the Ikeja gas leakage have revealed that the cause of the incident is due to the ongoing road rehabilitation in the area.
When The Press visited the scene of the gas leak which is under Ikeja bridge, some houses and shops along the road had been partially demolished. It was gathered that the government plans to expand the road, hence the gas leakage this morning.
Moreso, operatives of the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire Service, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria Fire Department, among others were on the ground at the scene of the leakage.
An eyewitness, Adekunle Raji, whose mother sells her wares at the spot where the gas leakage occurred, affirmed to The Press that the ongoing road project caused the gas leakage.
He said, “I am a trader here and to my own knowledge, this is the first time something like this would happen. They said they wanted to widen the road so they demolished some structures. While they were doing that, I think they made a mistake and hit a pipeline and it was not repaired. They are still doing the road rehabilitation.
“People always trade here and nothing like this has ever happened. This is the first time this kind of thing will happen. This particular place that it happened is where my mother sells her wares and I also assist her. The leakage has affected our business immensely.”
Another eyewitness who simply identified himself as Jeremiah Kufre stated, “The leakage was due to the ongoing road project. They ought to have informed the gas company about the road rehabilitation for them to stop gas from running through these pipes. The partial demolition of the buildings is because they want to expand the road. When the incident happened, the gas was gushing out but the right authorities were informed and they came here hurriedly. That is why you can see them all on the ground. It started since morning.”