OTEDOLA BRIDGE FIRE EXPLOSION: State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, assigned to investigate the multi-fatal tanker explosion that occurred on June 28 along Lagos/Ibadan expressway by Otedola bridge, inward Ibadan, have arrested the truck owner, Hassan Maiwake.
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A statement issued by Chike Oti, Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, said the truck with registration number NSR 888 YQ, driven by a yet to be identified suspect, laden with petroleum product, lost control, spilling its content and went up in flame, burning 56 vehicles and killing 11 unidentified persons.
He said the owner of the truck, Hassan Maikwe of No.16 Hotoro Limawa, Kano State, was arrested on Thursday in Kano and that he was now helping the police in its effort to locate the driver of the ill-fated truck.
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Oti said the Commissioner of Police had assured that the Command would do all it could to help families who lost their beloved ones in the accident by ensuring that anyone found culpable was brought to book.
“DNA test to ascertain the true identities of the charred remains of the victims is ongoing. Further development will be communicated to Lagosians,’ he said.
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In another development, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said that 11 families had shown up at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre for testing and only nine families had been matched.
“On July 5, 2018, samples from the incident of Otedola Bridge fire explosion were picked up by LSD&FC staff from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Forensic Pathologist, under secured chain of custody.
â€Reference DNA profiles were generated at LSD&FC from representative family members and compared to the DNA profiles generated from the victims’ samples received from the Forensic Pathologist.
“â€Based on the DNA analysis performed at LSD&FC, all victim samples were successfully matched to relatives’ samples.
â€Nine bodies have been successfully matched to nine families, out of the 11 families that showed up at LSD&FC.
â€They are now ready to be handed over to the rightful families for necessary burial arrangements.â€
He added, “Collection of the remains would commence from 10.00am on July 28 at the Seminar Room of the Pathology & Forensic Medicine Department of the LASUTH, Ikeja.â€
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The commissioner said that this was the first time unidentified victims of a mass disaster had been successfully identified locally using DNA technology.
He said that the identification process was completed in less than four weeks after the incident as against over six months when the practice was to take samples abroad for analysis.
“I also wish to note that rigorous effort is made in ensuring that errors are reduced to the barest minimum in order not to compound the agony already being experienced by the bereaved families.
“As a government, we share the concerns and anxiety of the affected families and associates on the identification and the need for prompt release of the remains of their loved ones.
“However we believe that the thorough investigation which was conducted is in the best interest of all concerned.
“We wish to reiterate that the entire cost of management and treatment of the surviving victims and DNA forensics for the dead and their families was borne by the State Government,†Idris said.
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He said that some of the victims of the accident were currently being treated at the Trauma & Burns Centre, Gbagada General Hospital and LASUTH and were responding to treatment.
According to him 10 patients were admitted at the state’s various hospitals, two died, three have been discharged and five are still on admission.
NAN reports that the idris had on July 2 confirmed 12 casualties on the June 28 Otedola Bridge petrol tanker explosion.
According to him, 10 of the victims, including a minor, died at the scene of the accident, while two others died at the hospital.
www.sojworld.com © July 27, 2018
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