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130 days after: How a broken community in Abule-Ado is picking up from the ruins of a mysterious explosion
On a bright Sunday afternoon, March 15, 2020, the people of Abule-Ado, a suburb in Lagos State, were greeted by an unexpected disaster that has since brought a once bubbly community to ruins.
In what could be described as a Black Sunday, at least 20 people reportedly lost their lives with over 50 houses destroyed in the explosion which source still remains a mystery.
It has been one hundred and thirty days since that ill-fated incident in Abule Ado. Although the residents still mourn their losses with hopes that the government would live up to its promises of relief, Ripples Nigeria visited and tells the shattering story of how this community is picking up from its ruins.
The ruins of Shoba
It was a windy Tuesday morning when this Reporter and her colleague arrived Abule-Ado Bus-stop, along the ever-busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
Commercial motorcycle riders had seized the edge of the road beckoning on people heading into Shoba, the community worst affected by the blast. Having no need for their services, we walked the rest of the journey, lapping up the morning breeze that made our 25-minute walk a rare experience in a city drenched by pollution of all kinds.
Read also: ABULE ADO EXPLOSION: Lagos govt presents cheques to victims’ families
As we approached, Shoba rose in the horizon, cutting the image of a community in a hurry to discover itself. Sadly, we arrived to behold a horrific sight before us.
The whole area seemed like it was war-torn. Bricks, woods, roofing sheets and material belongings of affected residents littered the area and, for some parts of the community, hopes of revival anytime soon was definitely not near.
We traversed most part of the broken community, visiting first the site of the boarding school at the core of the crisis, Bethlehem Girls College, where Reverend Sister Henrietta Alohka reportedly lost her life trying to save her wards from a fire outbreak.
One hundred and thirty days after, Ripples Nigeria serves you unforgettable images of how Shoba and the larger Abule-Ado are rising from the ruins of their beleaguered community.
From total reconstruction of buildings to reinventing their businesses, the people of Shoba are hopeful that the days ahead hold bright hopes, as government delivers on some of its promises to restore the damaged community.
By Sunday Nwana Ruth and Oluwatosin Oladimeji Amosun…
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