By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Evelyn Usman & Monsur Olowoopejo
LAGOS—Explosion from an under- ground cable, yesterday, rocked the entire Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa, Isolo area of Lagos, killing a motorcyclist and injuring others.

Time was 10.45 a.m.

Report said the explosion was caused by a construction worker involved in ongoing road rehabilitation. The explosion occurred minutes after construction work on the road commenced after two weeks of break by the construction company owing to persistence rainfall in the area.

The construction worker, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was said to have continued with the digging despite earlier warnings by shop owners around the area.

How Okada man died

The impact of the explosion from the live cable was said to have hit a motorcyclist who was repairing his motorbike at a mechanic workshop; he was electrocuted.

Efforts to save the unidentified motorcyclist’s life failed as he reportedly died in an undisclosed private hospital around the area

One of the construction workers said to have also been affected, was reportedly resuscitated after being in coma for almost an hour.

The explosion caused a stampede as shop owners took to their heels for fear of what they assumed as a recurrence of the January 27, 2002 Ikeja bomb blasts.

Motorists were also not left out in the race for safety as most of them reportedly abandoned their vehicles in the traffic caused by the bad road which had remained unattended to for over a month.

When Vanguard arrived the scene at about 12 noon, shop owners were just getting over the shock, while most people avoided the exact portion of the explosion, as they awaited the arrival of officials of the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria Plc, PHCN.

Ejigbo council speaks

Vice Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA, Bello Oloyede, confirmed the incident, adding that the council and the contractors had waded in to prevent further explosions.

Oloyede noted that the incessant rains had stalled major rehabilitation on the road, making the contractors focus attention on the culverts.

He said: “The outward lane of the road is completed but what is left is the inward lane. What we are doing now is the cross culverts that would take the flood straight into the drainage. It was in the process of digging the road that the incident happened.”

He confirmed that the victims had been rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, saying “both victims were responding to treatment.”

Oloyede assured that the council would henceforth work with the PHCN to map out areas where high tension wires might have been buried.

He also appealed to residents of Jakande Estate for understanding as the incident has plunged the entire estate in total blackout promising that PHCN were already on ground to restore electricity.