Two people died and three were injured in an explosion at Natty Petroleum Investment Nigeria Ltd in Daffo District, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. The incident occurred on Saturday during welding repairs on an underground storage tank at the filling station. Plateau State Police Command confirmed the explosion was an industrial accident, not a bomb blast as falsely reported online. Police Public Relations Officer SP Alfred Alabo stated the claims of a bomb explosion and crisis in the state were misleading and unfounded.
Emergency responders rushed the injured to Cottage Hospital, Bokkos, where they are receiving treatment. The bodies of the deceased, including 24-year-old Emmanuel Mapak, were taken to the facility's morgue. The Commissioner of Police ordered immediate deployment of officers to secure the scene and coordinate rescue efforts. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit was also sent to investigate and rule out terrorism.
Preliminary findings from the EOD unit confirmed the explosion was accidental and not linked to terrorism or improvised explosive devices. The police emphasized that no security threat was detected following the incident. Authorities urged the public to stop sharing unverified information, warning it could cause panic. Residents were advised to rely only on official statements for accurate updates.
The police had to deploy the Anti-Bomb Squad to prove an explosion at a filling station was not a bomb blast, yet the same level of urgency is never seen in preventing known industrial hazards. Artisans were welding on a fuel tank, a high-risk activity that points to weak safety enforcement at Natty Petroleum Investment Nigeria Ltd. If such dangerous work could proceed without oversight, other filling stations across Plateau may be operating under similar risks. The victims, including Emmanuel Mapak, paid the price for a preventable failure that official channels did not stop in time.
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