About 20 buildings have been pencilled down for integrity test and possible demolition after Wednesday’s fire cracker explosion and inferno at Jankara market area of Lagos Island.
A number of buildings affected by the explosion were pulled down hours after the explosion and more are lined up for a similar feature.
Five buildings were totally destroyed in the explosion and another three were partially touched.
Some shop owners in the famous Jankara market have already begun moving their goods to another location as they are unsure of what will become of their buildings after the test.
An official of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, had earlier confirmed to Channels TV that “The use of residential buildings for both residential and commercial use, which is against the Building Code of Nigeria, complicates the rescue operations of the fire fighters.”
Jankara market is located in the heart of the densely populated Lagos Island market where massive structures of three to four storey buildings are built inches away from each other.
Fire crackers popularly known as banger are major features of celebrations during Christmas and New Year across Nigeria.
Meanwhile, NEMA has declared that the Lagos State Authorities would take over the control of the site while the state’s Commissioner for Home Affairs has called for residents in the state to assist government in curbing the spate of disasters.
Some form of order has been restored in Jankara market, as the crowd are now controlled and put behind the barricades to allow relevant agencies perform their duties without any hindrance.
Our correspondent who was at the scene on the second day, observed that some fire crackers are still going off.