Tue, 04/12/2012 – 2:51pm | CATHERINE AGBO
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A block of shops and property worth millions of naira were yesterday destroyed in an explosion that occurred at Efab Estate Lokogoma Neighbourhood Shopping Centre.
The shopping centre is located in the midst of residential property in Phase one of the estate.
The explosion, which sparked off fire was said to have occurred at about 2am yesterday, when all the shops had closed for the day.
No casualty was recorded, as there weren’t people in the shops at the time of the incident.
While some say it was a bomb explosion, others attributed the fire to gas explosion from a dry-cleaning shop, which was most devastated by the explosion.
A resident of a house opposite the neighbourhood centre, who spoke with LEADERSHIP on the condition of anonymity said they were sleeping when they were awoken by a loud explosion, which caused the house to vibrate, as well as broke the glass panes on the window of the house.
“The incident occurred a few minutes before 2am and everybody was sleeping when it occurred. There was a loud sound and we all rushed out to see what it was only to find part of the corner shop on fire. We struggled to put out the fire to no avail till the men of the Fire Service came to put it out.
“If you go to my house now, you will see my plasma television which was hung on the wall in pieces on the floor. All the glasses on the windows were also shattered by the impact of the explosion,” she said.
A pharmacy owner at the centre, whose shop was also affected, lamented the loss of property which he said was worth huge sums f money but expressed happiness that no one was hurt in the incident.
Some shop owners were seen evacuating their goods from the shops, even as the area had been cordoned off.
Meanwhile, men of the Nigeria Police Anti-bomb Squad, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies were earlier at the scene to assess the level of damage and casualty.