No fewer than four persons were feared killed following a multiple explosion at the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State on Friday night.

It was gathered that a tanker laden with petroleum products exploded, affecting other vehicles in the area known for its gridlock.

The incident started arpind 9:15pm adjacent to the Indorama Petrochemical Company located along the Akpojo-Onne axis of the East-West Road leading to some critical national assets.

A source living in Akpajo, Eleme Local Government Area, said he heard a deafening sound twice from his residence.

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The source who gave his name as Vikko said, “I heard a very loud sound about 20 minutes ago, and people were shouting.

“The sound came from the Petro-Chemical company area. So when I came out, I saw a thick smoke with fire from a distance.”

A Port Harcourt-based broadcast journalist, Segun Owolabi, who gave a live update from the scene aired on his company’s Radio Station (Super FM, 93.3) painted a gory picture and said he counted four bodies burnt.

Owolabi stated, “I saw four dead bodies burnt. Some may have been in the bushes because many ran away. I saw a whole stretch of vehicles burnt down, trailer burnt down.”

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On what may have caused the fire which he said was still raging, he said, “There seems to be a truck carrying substances and it was as if it had a collision with another vehicle that may have ignited the fire. Over 20 vehicles burnt down and several people trapped.

“There may be more bodies. Oh my God this is a tragedy. A stretch of vehicles burnt,.”

He, however, said three fire-fighting trucks from the Indorama Petrochemical company had arrived at the scene and were trying to put out the fire which was still raging.

He added, “Our call right now is to other companies to assist in putting out the fire because it may overwhelm the three fire trucks by the Indorama Company.

“Some security agents are here too, but we call for security presence to ensure nothing else happens here. Also the Rivers State Government and other relevant agencies should rise to the occasion in seeing that the situation is brought under control.

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“Also, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area should swing into action and make every necessary call he needs to make to save people of his area and others using the road.”

Owolabi said the fire was still raging as of the time he left with thick smoke billowing into the atmosphere.

Following the incident, it was gathered that hundreds of travellers and passengers were stranded as the road which leads to Akwa Ibom, Cross River and others were blocked.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said though she was yet to get a situation report on the incident, she would find out and revert.

She had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Friday night.

A resident’s failure to properly extinguish a charcoal fire used for cooking on Thursday night resulted in a fire that engulfed a 40-room flat in the early hours of Friday.

The incident happened at the Ile Muse compound, off Emir’s Road in Ilorin, Kwara State,

The PUNCH gathered that 9 of the 40 rooms at No. E143, Ile Muse, off Emir’s road, Ilorin in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara were consumed by the inferno that engulfed the building early on Friday.

Eye witness account corroborated by the report of the state fire service said that the fire incident started in the wee hours of Friday and was caused by an unextinguished fire from Charcoal left in the night by one of the residents after cooking her meals.

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A neighbour, Mallam Abdulkadir, said the vigilante guarding the area noticed the fire and raised the alarm to wake the residents around 2.30 am.

“Some residents were already awake and we were making efforts to put out the fire when the firemen arrived and used their equipment to stop the fire from spreading to the whole of the building,” he said.

Kwara State Fire Service, in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Hassan Adekunle, said, “The Fire Service received a distress call at about 3.00 am on Friday that a raging fire had engulfed a compound at No. E143, Ile Muse, off Emir’s Road, Ilorin.

“The fire had already burned 9 rooms completely before the crew got there but the firemen sprang into action, racing against time to save lives and property”, the statement said.

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“Upon arrival, the firefighters were met with a daunting challenge. But with their training, skill, and unwavering dedication, they battled the blaze with unrelenting fury. The fire was finally brought under control at 03:42 hours, a testament to the crew’s unyielding spirit and professionalism,” the statement read.

Adekunle, who said that no life was lost in the inferno, revealed that household utensils, clothes, electronics and building materials, as well as personal documents, were lost to the fire incident.

He said that the Director of the State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, who was visibly moved by the incident, sympathised with the victims.

“This avoidable tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of fire safety and awareness,” Falade emphasised.
PUNCH

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of renowned banker and businessman, Jim Ovia, as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

Ovia’s appointment is contained in a State House statement titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as Chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund,’ and issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

The statement noted that “Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.

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“He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.”

“The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.

“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.

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“The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds,” the statement partly read.

Ovia’s appointment will also ensure “that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.”