Ikeja Bomb Blast: 18 Years After, Lagosians Recall the Horror, Confusion, Deaths | Punch
- 4 years ago
18 years after the bomb blast that rocked Ikeja, Lagos on 27th January 2002, Lagosians are recalling the experience and the aftermath.
Zuki Omili, who spoke with our correspondent, said that he was in Oshodi on the day of the bomb blast. He said he had gone to Oshodi with his brother and his wife, who wanted to buy an item at the market.
He revealed that when they heard the explosion, his brother thought that it was a coup and urged them to keep moving.
They kept walking until they got to Iyana Ipaja in Lagos.
Another Lagosian, Adebayo Oruku, said that he was living at Ladoje, Old Oko Oba as of the time of the bomb blast.
He said, “I was inside my apartment and it was a concrete building. For me to have heard that sound, the way it was inside that building, I initially thought that it was war. When I came outside, I realised that it was from a far distance but everywhere was shaking.
“The explosion happened unexpectedly, so people thought it was a war. Most of the people that died were running for their lives.
“People were calling the people they knew, especially those living around Ikeja.”
Omili said he was particularly pained by the loss of his paintings during the bomb blast.
He said that he had dreamt of being an international artist, but the Ikeja bomb blast aborted that dream.
Zuki Omili, who spoke with our correspondent, said that he was in Oshodi on the day of the bomb blast. He said he had gone to Oshodi with his brother and his wife, who wanted to buy an item at the market.
He revealed that when they heard the explosion, his brother thought that it was a coup and urged them to keep moving.
They kept walking until they got to Iyana Ipaja in Lagos.
Another Lagosian, Adebayo Oruku, said that he was living at Ladoje, Old Oko Oba as of the time of the bomb blast.
He said, “I was inside my apartment and it was a concrete building. For me to have heard that sound, the way it was inside that building, I initially thought that it was war. When I came outside, I realised that it was from a far distance but everywhere was shaking.
“The explosion happened unexpectedly, so people thought it was a war. Most of the people that died were running for their lives.
“People were calling the people they knew, especially those living around Ikeja.”
Omili said he was particularly pained by the loss of his paintings during the bomb blast.
He said that he had dreamt of being an international artist, but the Ikeja bomb blast aborted that dream.