At least 11 persons have been injured in a gas explosion that occurred in Babura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
The incident which occurred on Tuesday in the hometown of the state governor, Badaru Abubakar, was said to have taken place after some personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service on duty chased a vehicle loaded with cooking gas cylinders into the area.
Mr Lawal Shiisu, who is the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, confirmed to newsmen in Dutse, the state capital that no life was lost in the incident.
According to him, the persons who sustained various degrees of injuries have since been taken to the general hospital in Babura for treatment.
“Some customs officers on border drill pursued one Iveco vehicle loaded with gas cylinders from the Republic of Niger and head to Gumel Local Government Area of the state,” he said. “One of the gas cylinders spilled and caught fire while on one of the streets of Babura Local Government Area and the explosion began.”
Recounting how the explosion occurred, a resident of Babura Mujahid Aliyu said the incident happened close to his house.
He blamed the security operatives for the incident, saying the impact of the explosion has caused serious damage to his house and vehicle.
“Some customs officers chased the vehicle carrying gas cylinders and they shot at the vehicle two to three times. That is how the explosion began,” Aliyu narrated.
Dauda Rabi’u, another resident of the area and a father of three, said he initially thought it was a gunshot, but later realized it was an explosion.
“We thought it was a gunshot because we are used to customs officers shooting on daily basis. But I later noticed it was beyond that and I began to save my children as the explosion continued non-stop,” he said.