Victims of Abaranje explosion seek NCC’s support for medical remediation

Victims of the Abaranje explosion in the Ikotun area of Lagos State have called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to intervene in their plight by directing Airtel management to initiate urgent and rehabilitative medical remediation for them.

They also urged the NCC to further direct Airtel management to promptly and adequately compensate them, stressing that the commission should pro-actively intervene in the matter in a manner that would assuage their situation.

The victims experienced severe burns from the fire and explosion at the base transceiver station (BTS Lag 767) at N0 15/19, of Airtel Network Limited at Abiodun Ibidapo Street, Asalu bus stop, Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos State on March 19, 2024.

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 concerned statutory bodies and levy appropriate sanctions by way of fines as deterrence.”

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

They, therefore, requested the commission to pro-actively intervene in their matter, noting that they cannot survive protracted court litigation, which they feared would only favour the network provider

The letter reads in part: “We are Solicitors/Counsel to the four innocent passers-by who were severely burnt 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, March 19, 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 at the same Airtel site.

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