12th December, 2011
About 10 years after the bomb blast that rocked Ikeja Military Cantonment which killed over a hundred of people, the victims and their relations are now pleading with the government and military authorities for compensation.
According to a statement signed by Olaniran A. Majekodunmi, Chairman, 2002 Bomb Blast Family, the negligence on the part of the Nigerian military authorities was responsible for the blast that sent scores to untimely death. Not only that, many people are still missing till date with no clue to their whereabouts.
Majekodunmi regretted that the government has been paying lip service to the plight of families of the victims and no serious effort was made to compensate the affected families.
He said the affected families having waited for almost a decade with nothing forthcoming from government, contacted the law firm of Falana and Falana who wrote on their behalf to the Ministry of Defence.
The Defence Ministry in turn asked the group to write to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGG, which it did, the group said, adding that the SGF had not deemed it fit to reply the letter not to talk of taking any measure to meet the demands of the bomb victims’ families.
The group also accused the Lagos State government of inaction on the plight of the families of the bomb victims. It alleged that the donations made to the people by well-meaning individuals and non-Government Organisations, NGOs did not get to the beneficiaries.
“Though there is no amount of monetary compensation that can be adequate for the loss of lives, we demand in the interest of justice, we demand for necessary compensation as contained in our letter of 7 September, 2011,†the group said in the statement.
It said should the government fail to respond to its demand within two weeks of the latest appeal, the group has prepared to seek legal redress to get justice. It promised not to rest until justice is done in the matter.
On 27 January, 2002, there was a bomb explosion at Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria. Several people were killed and others injured. Properties were also destroyed.
The victims were buried in a mass grave at Oke Afa, near Isolo, Lagos.