Akeredolu: Akure blast caused by vehicle conveying explosives

An explosion in Akure, Ondo state, on Saturday morning, destroyed many residential houses, a church building and a school.

The explosion suspected to be a bomb blast cut off the busy Akure/Owo road.

The incident, which happened about two kilometres to Akure Airport, affected many residents of Eleyowo community, destroying the church and the school in the area.

Many people, who lived within the the church premises, were said to have been wounded.

The site at which the explosion happened has a deep crater cutting off the road and hindering vehicular movement.

The blast was said to have occurred when a truck conveying explosives to a quarry in another state exploded at the airport junction area of Akure.

Addressing journalists at the scene of the incident, Undie Adie, Ondo commissioner of police, said the explosives were duly escorted by men of the police ordnance department, but that the vehicle conveying the items developed a fault.

He said they noticed smoke was coming out of the engine of the vehicle which later resulted in a fire setting off the explosives.

TheCable learnt the security operatives ran away from the scene the moment the fire became uncontrollable.

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of the state, also visited the site of the explosion, corroborating the account of the police commissioner.

”I have been briefed by the security chiefs that in the early hours of Saturday March 28th, a vehicle in a convoy transporting explosives to a storage facility in a neighbouring state developed a fault while in transit along the Akure Owo Road about 2km from the Akure Airport,” he said while addressing journalists.

”Security personnel and other individuals transporting the ordinances noticed smoke from the vehicle. After several attempts to extinguish the resulting fire failed, the vehicle and its consignment ignited causing a massive explosion that was felt in Akure and its environs.

”Presently, efforts are being made to ascertain if there are casualties. Following my visit to the scene, I have directed that the area be cordoned off to allow the explosive ordnance department/bomb squad to extricate the vehicle buried underground because it is unclear if there are still explosives that are yet to be detonated . Everything is under control and I will be updating the public on any new developments.”

On March 15, an explosion in Abule Ado area of Lagos led to the death of 22 people and the destruction of many houses.