Today, the 27th of January, 2020, marks 18 years since the devastating incident that took the lives many soldiers and their families, and also left several people injured, at the Ikeja Military Cantonment and Storage Area, Lagos, near Isolo and Onigbongo.
According to Wikipedia, “On the afternoon of 27 January, a fire broke out in a street market being held next to the base, which was also home to the families of soldiers. At around 7 pm the fire apparently spread to the base’s main munitions store, causing an enormous explosion. This blast killed many of the base staff and their families and immediately destroyed several nearby streets, flying debris starting numerous fires further afield. Tremors from the explosion also collapsed many buildings in the area, trapping people in the ruins and starting new fires from damaged cooking appliances. These tremors were so powerful that windows shattered 15 km away and the blast could be felt more than 50 km inland”.
On the streets of Twitter, Nigerians are remembering that fateful day when some were still little kids playing around, some traders hustling for their daily bread, while many were just strolling through when they heard the blast and fled in different ways, jumping into the canal. Some lost loved ones directly in the blast, or in the collapsed buildings, the stampede, or through new fires that built up through other explosive gas.
May their soul continue to rest in perfect peace.
