It doesn’t matter if Kano explosion was caused by gas or bomb – SEMA boss

The Executive Secretary, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Saleh Jili, has argued that it doesn’t matter whether the recent explosion in Sabon Gari, Kano State was caused by gas or bomb.

Jili was speaking with Arise News on the explosion that killed at least nine people, injured many and destroyed a building at Sabon Gari in Fagge Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

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Residents had told Daily Trust that an explosive device went off in the early hours of Tuesday.

Some residents close to the scene of the explosion in the city had dismissed a statement by the police that the explosion might have been caused by gas cylinders, insisting that it was caused by a suicide bomber.

However, SEMA executive secretary, Jili, said, “When the explosion happened, people were so anxious to come and see what happened, and so the place was so overcrowded. There was a building which was about to collapse, so our attention then was to get an excavator to ensure the building didn’t fall on the general public. So that’s what we were busy doing.

“The building now collapsed and the issue of whether it’s a cylinder or not is not our own priority then. Our priority was to rescue the people who are inside the building that collapsed.

“So now the government will set up a committee to fully investigate the actual cause of the explosion. So it doesn’t matter whether the welder was using electricity or gas cylinder. The investigation will show whether he was using electricity or not. But all we are saying is that it’s not a bomb blast.”

Jili also said that people were just being negative because what mattered was that the unfortunate incident had already taken place.

He added, “People can say anything because they want negative thinking. But if it’s a bomb blast, and it has already happened, what is the interest there? Why do people insist it must be a bomb blast? What happened has already happened. Who were wounded were wounded. Whether it was a gas explosion or a bomb blast, what’s the interest of the general public? What benefit do we have?”