Lagos explosion: Police quiz victim’s callers

Policemen at the scene of Lagos explosion

The Lagos State Police Command has quizzed some people in connection with the explosion at Miracle Sand Beach under the Amuwo Odofin Link Bridge on Monday.

The explosion killed a sand dredger, Chief Oladele Pius, and injured a police inspector.

Police sources said the persons, who were questioned, were those who spoke on the telephone with the deceased shortly before the explosion.

According to sources, the deceased was at home when he received a phone call to come to work. The explosion was said to have occurred some minutes after.

The first phone call he received was reportedly from the policeman that was with him when the blast occurred while some other calls came in at about 10.54am, 11.06am, 11.25am and 11.30am respectively.

Meanwhile, friends of Pius have alleged that his death was orchestrated and not accidental.

The friends also disagreed with the police, saying the explosion was not caused by electrical fault under the bridge, but a bomb.

Our correspondent, who visited the deceased’s home located at Lake View Estate, learnt that he had survived murder attempts before his eventual death.

Although thugs prevented our correspondent from gaining access to the premises, some well wishers who stood outside, described Pius as a generous man.

A local lottery operator said, “Who didn’t know Dele in the area? He was a very generous man and that is why you can see many residents trooping in to see his family. Before his death, many people had been urging him to run for the Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area in the next election.

“Many attempts including diabolical means had been made on his life in the past. I think they wanted to ensure he died this time around that was why the bomb was planted at his duty post.”

PUNCH Metro observed some youths searched visitors who were on condolence visit to the family of the deceased.

One of the youths said, “We must search everyone carrying bags because someone could come and make another attempt on the lives of his family members.”

Another youth, who was identified as Sodiq, said, “The police are saying it was not a bomb but an electrical fault. If it is an electrical fault that they are investigating, then the case can never be solved.”

The deceased, who the hoodlums also referred to as Babalawo (native doctor), was the Chairman of the Local Dredgers Association.

When contacted on the telephone, the spokesperson for the state police, Ngozi Braide, insisted that preliminary investigations showed that the explosion was caused by electrical fault and not a bomb.

“Experts have said the explosion was caused by an electrical fault and not a bomb. No one can fault that for now but investigations are ongoing”, she said.

Braide said the police questioned a lot of people in the cause of the investigation, adding that nobody had been arrested.

PUNCH