The National Association of Nigerian Students has sought compensation for students affected by the fire incident occasioned by a gas explosion in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Tuesday.
It was gathered that many people were feared injured in the explosion that rocked a filling station located in the Lagere area, which sources said was triggered by a leaking gas container in the fuel station.
People around Lagere, Mayfair, and Iremo Road who spoke with journlaists, said they heard a loud noise around 5 pm within the premises of Poplat filling station in Lagere, leading to panic across the town.
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The fire spread to a nearby student hostel and wreaked havoc on the building.
Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps from Ile-Ife, and the Osun State Fire Service responded to the distress call.
The Osun NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke, who confirmed the incident said the “filling station located opposite a commercial bank in Lagere, Ile-Ife, housing a gas station with a mini-mart caught fire at about around 5:02 pm, January 9, 2024.”
Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the NANS JCC chairman, -, said union members were at the scene to assess the damage and to visit the students hospitalised after sustaining injuries.
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Videos seen Online on Wednesday showed students lamenting their losses as one of them was seen with bandages on his legs and arms.
A student of Obafemi Awolowo University residing in one of the rooms of the three-storey building, Josephine Ojo, said she was in her room when she saw that the gas started leaking “and all of us ran outside.”
“We were at a distance watching it when it caught fire. We didn’t know it would escalate. Before we knew it, it exploded the second time. The heat was much and I sustained injuries while running. We’re almost 40 or more occupants. I recovered some of my property, but most of them were either stolen or misplaced. Some rooms got burnt. The windows and doors of other rooms were scattered by the force of the explosion,” says 300-level Ojo.
She said the occupants were yet to hear from the landlord or caretaker.
“My gas cylinder, clothes – I’ve not even checked everything – my foodstuffs and some things, I can’t find them,” the distressed student added.
Adesola Daniel, a recent OAU graduate said he lost $3000 cash to the incident. “I live in room 26. There are about 42 rooms. It’s a three-storey building. Presently, about 20 rooms are affected. We lost luggage, phones, and especially money. I lost close to $3000 cash in my room. I have evidence. My friends are aware. I had to run for my life.
“My room was burgled afterwards. I couldn’t find my TV, fridge, laptops and air conditioner. I retrieved my generator, bed and some clothes but I can’t find essential things in my room,” Daniel told PUNCH Online in a phone conversation on Wednesday.
“My neighbour’s room, number 25, was burnt completely, everything, her clothes. If the fire incident didn’t occur, my things wouldn’t be missing. The fire incident caused damage to me. Rooms 25 and 26 were the most damaged,” he said.
He explained that people became homeless and had nowhere to sleep. “Some people slept outside yesterday. Three of them are OAU students. The police haven’t said anything. The police came yesterday and even denied the occupants access to the building,” he noted.
The hostel, Daniel said, was a metre away from the gas station “which I feel is inappropriate. I’m seeking to get my things back including a refund of my rent.”
On his part, the Osun NANS JCC chairman, Ogungbe, said the student body “will make official reports to the Commissioner of Police and the Department of State Services. The damage is massive.” He noted this was for the government to call out the owner of the gas station to bear the cost of the damages.
The OAU Students’ Union President, Akinremi Ojo, also known as LoRdFeM, told PUNCH Online the union was still collating the number of affected students. “At the moment, three students are hospitalised and two of them lost some property,” the president said on Wednesday.
Contacted for a reaction to claims of property loss by the students, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Opalola Yemisi, simply said, “Let me find out.” She did not respond to further calls.
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