Nigerians Express Safety Concerns After Benin CNG Explosion Critically Injures Three, Causes Amputation of Victim’s Foot

An explosion at the NIPCO gas station in Aduwawa, Benin City, Edo State, has prompted widespread reactions from Nigerians concerned about safety standards. Eyewitnesses reported the explosion as vehicles queued to refill their Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinders.

The blast destroyed an Audi car, blew off its roof and damaged other parts of the vehicle. The victims included three individuals who were severely injured.

One motorist suffered an eye injury, a woman’s stomach was torn open, and another person’s foot was amputated from the impact. They are all at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital receiving treatment, and we hope none of them will lose their lives, a NIPCO attendant told PUNCH.

The incident has raised alarm about the safety of CNG, especially as the federal government promotes it as an affordable alternative to petrol. The Presidential CNG Initiative expressed sympathy for those injured and claimed that the cylinder involved was not compliant with safety regulations. Reactions on social media, however, reflected deep scepticism.

Many Nigerians voiced their safety concerns, with one user stating, “Nigeria is not ready for this you trying to force on us… Most filling station doesn’t even have extinguisher talkless of yellow buses…in case of emergency”.

By the time we’ve gathered CNG explosion data for the next 2 years, we’ll know how to proceed. It’s up to you to decide if you’ll be the source of that data or the person to analyse it, another user, Chris Ejike, said.

Several other social media users criticised the rush to adopt CNG without adequate safety measures to avoid addressing skyrocketing petrol prices. Others pledged not to convert their vehicles until the presidency and top  Nigerian authorities do so. CNG-converted vehicles are notably risky. Even with safety systems, accidental gas leaks near ignition sources such as engine sparks or lit cigarettes can lead to disaster.

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