Some Abuja residents have called on regulatory agencies to step up enforcement and end what they described as indiscriminate cooking gas vending within residential neighbourhoods.
Their calls followed Sunday’s gas explosion in Kubwa town, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Abuja Metro reported that the explosion, which occurred at a cooking gas outlet near Liberty Junction along Arab Road in Kubwa, led to the burning of about eight shops and a Toyota 4Runner vehicle that reportedly rammed into the gas outlet where several cylinders were stored.
Reacting to the incident yesterday, a resident of the Arab Road area, Joseph Ifedayo, said the damage could have been worse if the explosion had occurred on a working day when shop owners and their customers were around.
He urged relevant regulatory agencies, particularly the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which is responsible for licensing cooking gas outlet operators, to take action.
‘They should not allow for the cooking gas outlet to operate in the middle of residences or shops, for the safety of human beings and property,’ Ifedayo urged.
Also reacting, another resident, Stanley Peter, said allowing shops to operate side by side a gas outlet of such magnitude raised concerns about the enforcement activities of environmental regulatory agencies.
A business operator in the area, Lucky Monday, said apart from the shop owners around the outlet, a woman who sold fried bean cakes and yam also operated nearby.
He, however, said the woman was not at the location on the day of the incident, which was on a Sunday, adding that the situation would have been worse.
When our reporter returned to the area yesterday, the site of the incident had been cleared, with none of the affected traders seen around the premises.
It was also gathered that the driver of the vehicle that rammed into the gas outlet, who could not be located by the police on the day of the incident, had since reported himself to the Byazhin Police Division.
His wife, it was further gathered, is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Byazhin Police Division, CSP Musa Nyako, said investigation into the incident was ongoing.