On this day in 2002, explosions at a military cantonment in Lagos, Nigeria, trigger a stampede of fleeing people, during which more than 1,000 people were killed.

On that fateful Sunday, residents of Ikeja and its environs were shocked to hear the thunderous sound, intermitently coming from the barracks. While some thought it could be part of an attempt to seize power from the then civilian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, others could not even hazard a guess.They simply fled from the ‘war zone’. When the dusts eventually settled, over a thousand residents of Lagos, eventually met what they were running away from inside the pitch-dark water canal at Oke Afa area of the state -death.

Giving more insights into what actually led to the infamous incident, the then Commanding Officer of the command, Brig. George Kolawole Emdin, blamed the ugly episode on the lackadaisical attitude and negligence on the part of those in authority at the time.Emdin, the then commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade and the commanding officer of the cantonment, where the bombs exploded revealed that the blast should have been pre-empted some months before it actually occurred.According to the retired Army officer , the different army formations in Lagos State as at then informed the Senate Committee on Defence and the Army Headquaters of the impending disaster at the Armour Transit Depot situated within the cantonment .According to him, the ATD had become, not only obsolete but also inundated with unused ammunition from the ECOMOG peace keeping mission to Liberia and Congo.He further stated that the Senate Committee on Defence had on its visit to the cantonment on the 4th of October 2001 been informed of the impending danger at the ATD. Brigadier Emdin (Rtd) also stated that the then Chief of Defence staff, Major General Ogomudia was also aware of the precarious situation of the ATD.He disclosed that the former Chief of Army staff had, during one of his visits to the ATD, ordered that tarpaulin be acquired to cover the littering bombs from the sun.He also claimed that the Senate leadership during the Pius Anyim era had allegedly sent a recommendation to the Presidency to include the ATD in the budget for the following year

Indeed, January 27, 2002 was horrendous in the chequered history of Lagos and the entire nation. As the bomb exploded at the military cantonment, the city was thrown into confusion and disarray. Every part of the metropolis felt the pangs arising from the explosion. The farther away from the site, the more it appeared that the explosion was taking place next door. Items hung precariously in many homes crashed like a pack of cards, with buildings vibrating menacingly as a result of the impact of the explosion.It was as if the nation was embroiled in another civil war. Thousands of residents scampering for safety ran across the major highways till the wee hours of the day, with Lagos streets depicting the ugly scenario in war-torn Somalia , Sudan and Angola , where brothers have been at each other’s jugular for decades. While some Lagosians managed to take along a few clothing as they rushed out of the residences to the streets, others merely ran for cover in near nudity.

Like in every disaster, the explosion was accompanied by dire consequences. Thousands became homeless after fleeing from their homes. Many others lost their means of livelihood. A near food crisis soon crept in, as the ubiquitous street traders, hawkers and food vendors vanished to take refuge in obscure locations. The restless city suddenly went to sleep, with virtually all the commercial outlets closing shops, especially in the popular Oshodi market, the closest civilian-dominated commercial point to the cantonment.

However, the most horrific consequence was the human causalities that resulted from the disaster. Till date, no one knows the exact number persons that lost their lives. But no fewer than one thousand of persons who got drowned in the canal at Oke-Afa, in Isolo, while running away from the impeding calamity, were given a state burial. While some families were able to reconnect after the disaster, many others are still smarting from the memories of their missing relations.

Yesterday, silverbird news interviewed some families that lost loved ones during the Ikeja cantonment bomb explosion.i was devastated,hearing our a woman lost her 26 yr old pregnant nd bride to be daughter.And another woman that lost her twins.

They complained of govt negligence. Govt should try and compensate the victims family

I pray God should let the souls of the departed to rest in his bosom. And to continually grant the bereaved the fortitude to bear the irreparable lost.