The day started peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2002 before an explosion rang from the Military Cantonment in Ikeja, Lagos State around 5:00 p.m.
What happened? Bombs and other explosive items had mistakenly been set off in the armoury section of the barracks. It was more like an earthquake as it sounded about seven times, leading to the destruction of properties in and around the area.
As residents scampered for safety because they thought a war had broken out, many lost their lives directly to the explosion and the stampede that followed the incident. Minute after minute, the death toll was rising.
A location that seemed to record the highest number of deaths was a large canal at Ajao Estate which links Oke-Afa in Isolo.
Survivors told BattaFiles that the surface of the canal was covered by water hyacinth so people running for safety thought it was dry land covered by bush.
As they jumped on it, they sank and drowned. Unfortunately, it became a ‘mass grave’ with some families completely wiped off.
BattaFiles gathered that more than 1,000 lives were lost and many others missing till date. One of the major losers of the day is Sauli Adunni who lost six children to the incident.
She explained that she cries every time she remembers the pains she passed through during their birth and how she lost them miserably.
Also, Surajudeen Kareem, a 67-year-old electrician said the incident represents the darkest day of his life as he lost his 19-year-old son, Shakiru, a student at Lagos State University to the explosion.
His wife also died in 2013 after years of battling hypertension, a condition that came after the incident.
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Oyebamiji Moji said she has been left in pain since her daughter, Florence, died. The victim left home when many people scampered for safety but did not return.
After several desperate searches, Florence’s lifeless body was seen at the Oke-Afa canal.
After two hours of continuous blasts, former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, now Nigeria’s president addressed residents on a state-wide live broadcast, and the Federal Government under the leadership of Olusegun Obasanjo pledged support in various forms.
The committee set up to look at the incident awarded an instant relief package of ₦500,000 per deceased person and ₦250,000 per missing person for the families to take care of immediate expenses.
Since then, no other compensation has been awarded despite various letters of appeal and reminders sent to the Federal Government over unfulfilled promises of providing compensation.
Aside from alleged neglect of the families, the Lagos State government has also left the memorial site to decay.
