Gas Explosion Kills 3 In Kogi

At least three persons were feared dead and many others injured in an explosion in Kabba, Kogi state on Wednesday evening.

Choicereporters gathered from sources that the incident occurred at a beer parlour around Lewu Junction, Kabba at about 9.45 p.m. at the peak of merry-making spree.

“I heard a loud sound not far from where I was and as I went there, I saw three bodies while the injured were taken to St. John’s General Hospital, Kabba for medical attention,” one of the sources said.

Another source,an Okada rider, who wants to be known simply as Dele, described the incident as “bomb blast”, citing the devasting sound of the incident, the death of three persons and the injured to butress his point.

However, the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, CP Edward Egbuka, who confirmed the incident said the incident was a gas explosion and not a bomb blast.

The police boss said his officers were on top of the situation, adding that he would give more details on the explosion after the completion of investigations on the incident.

Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored in Kabba in Kogi West Senatorial district of kogi state,few hours after a suspected a suspected gas explosion hit a drinking joint, Labi bear parlour Lewu junction in the area Wednesday evening.

The Commissioner of Police,Kogi State Command,CP Edward Egbuk, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer( PPRO) for the Command,SP William Ovye Aya and a copy made available to The Reporters on Thursday.

Egbuka said he deployed teams of personnel from Police Mobile Force, Quick Response Unit as well as conventional Officers to the scene, along with the Military personnel, to control access and evacuate the victims to Hospital, assuring that “normalcy has been restored in the area.”

According to the police boss, one Aisha, who was injured by the explosion and evacuated to the hospital with others injured, later died while others were receiving treatment.

He said he had directed his Deputy in charge of investigation to commence investigation into the incident along with the personnel of the Explosives Ordinance Department (EOD) to unravel the cause of the explosion.

===============