The traditional ruler of Otumara community in the Lagos Mainland of the state, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, has urged the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to investigate the recent gas explosion at the National Theatre and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Kalejaiye made the call following media report on the ongoing efforts by LASEMA to unravel the culprits behind the explosion which affected buildings, and trucks and killed cows and goats.
According to a statement issued by the Head, Public Affairs Unit of LASEMA, Nosa Okunbor, the explosion was caused by the storing of gas cylinders in one of the offices in the building belonging to the National Council of Arts and Culture located within the National Theatre premises.
Reacting to the statement, the traditional ruler said the statement by LASEMA didn’t paint the true picture of the immediate and the remote causes of the gas explosion.
According to him, the explosion was caused by illegal transloading of refined petroleum products and LPG by some lessees operating within the National Theatre premises.
He alleged that the General Manager of the parastatal, Prof. Sunday Ododo sometimes in 2022 leased out a portion of the old CBAAC land to some illegal operators for use as transloading bay without the approval of the board and management of the parastatal.
He, therefore, urged the LASEMA to probe the involvement of the General Manager, the lessees and the officers at the Nigeria Police post located within the premises with a view to getting to the root of the matter.
He said, “While I commend the prompt response of the Lagos State Fire Fighters and the LASEMA, I want to call for the investigation of the immediate and the remote cause of the explosion.”
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