Following the firecracker explosions in Jankara Market, Lagos, which
left at least one person dead and destroyed several properties, some of
the firecrackers left in a warehouse closed by the Lagos State
Government have disappeared.
A police source said the warehouse, which is at Oke Arin Market,
Lagos Island was one of the warehouses sealed off after the explosions
to help the police in their investigation.
The source said it was a surprise that the firecrackers in the
warehouse had disappeared when investigators visited it on Friday.
He said, “On December 27, 2012, we discovered two warehouses in Oke
Arin and Dosunmu markets and we were able to seal them off. Further
investigations revealed that the sealed warehouses belong to the man who
owns the one in Jankara Market, Ojo Giwa Street which caught fire last
Wednesday.
“However, we discovered just two days ago that following the approval
of a senior police officer, some people went into the warehouse at Oke
Arin Market at night and evacuated all the goods. The one in Dosnumu is
still intact.”
The warehouses, our correspondent learnt, were sealed off based on the order of Governor Babatunde Fashola.
“The governor gave an order that those involved in importation of the
killer fireworks that led to Wednesday’s explosions should be unmasked.
He said a holistic investigation to unravel the cause of the accident
as well as those involved in the importation and clearing at the ports
should be carried out,” the source said
The sudden disappearance of the fireworks was said to have caused an embarrassment for the state police command.
It was learnt that the police authorities were already holding talks
with elders in the community to unravel the mysterious disappearance of
the fireworks.
Last week, some residents had alleged that police were complicit in the thriving business of bangers.
Residents had alleged that the explosives which were brought in a
24-foot container and offloaded into the warehouse at Jankara Market a
few days before the explosions was escorted by policemen.
This, they said, was the reason why the police did not clamp down on
banger sellers even though a police post was adjacent to the building
where the fire emanated from.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said she was unaware of the development.
“The area commander said some warehouses have been sealed off and
policemen have been stationed there so it’s not possible for the
firecrackers to go missing,” she said.
Meanwhile, a group, The Muslim Congress, has said the government needs to ban fireworks completely in the country.
TMC said in a statement by its President, Lukman AbdurRaheem, on
Sunday, said that when fireworks intimidated and rendered people
homeless, it could only be described as ungodly.
The group empathises with the victims of the fire disaster caused by the firecrackers on the Lagos Island.
It said, “Celebration from theological perspective connotes a time
for sober reflection and emulation of the sublime precepts of the
prophets of religions.
“The federal, state and local governments should ban firecrackers
completely and ensure that their importation and use as objects of
entertainment by Nigerians be discouraged.”
TMC urged clerics to educate their followers, adding that criminals
used fireworks to instigate fear and perpetrate evil in the society.
- The Punch