Abanranje explosion: Victims seek NCC intervention

Victims of Abaranje, Ikotun explosion have urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to consider their plight and intervene in their situation by directing the management of  Airtel telecommunications to immediately initiate urgent and rehabilitative medical remediation for them.

They also urged the NCC to further direct the Airtel management to promptly and adequately compensate them.

The victims; Feranmi Nureni Oluwatoba; Saheed Adeleke; Franklin Obade; and Saheed Raji made the demand through their lawyer, Olubunmi Odeniyi in a letter dated April 22, 2024 sent to the NCC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO  Dr. Aminu Maida

They also urged the NCC to “order the immediate closure and cessation of operations at the site to maintain integrity of the site for appropriate investigation by your Commission and concerned statutory bodies” and “levy appropriate sanctions by way of fines as deterrence.”

The letter was titled, “Official Report/Complaint Of Negligence And Reckless Operation Of Airtel At Its Base Station Bts Lag 767 At No 15/19 Abiodun Ibidapo Street, Asaliu Bus-Stop, Abaranje, Ikotun Lagos State On Tuesday 19 March 2024 Causing An Inferno Resulting In severe Life Changing Burns On Four (4 ) People”

The victims said they are currently experiencing intense pain and suffering discomfort, disfigurement, neglect, losses of income and unplanned daily mounting medical bills.

They requested the commission to pro-actively intervene in the matter in a manner that would assuage their situation.

They stressed that their conditions cannot survive with a protracted court litigation which they feared will only favor the network provider.

The letter stated in part: “We are Solicitors/Counsel to the four (4 Nos.) innocent passers-by who were severely burned in a fire that broke out at the Airtel Base Station at No. 15/19, Abiodun Ibidapo Street, Asalu Bus-stop, Aberanje, Ikotun, Lagos State on Tuesday, 19 March, 2024.

“Our clients were rushed to various hospitals in the vicinity where sporadic and altogether inadequate services are being done hamstrung by the lack of financial capacity by the victims and their families.

“The cause of the explosion was the reckless manner of operations on the site where a welder was welding a tank and a diesel supplier making a delivery of fuel at the same AIRTEL site.

“We have brought this dire situation to the attention of Airtel by our duly acknowledged letter dated 2, April, 2024 but Airtel management have refused to engage the injured in any manner to assuage their desperate medical emergency,” the letter said.

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