Three Die In Explosion While Fixing Leaking Diesel Tank At Federal Judge’s House
An explosion rocked the Abuja residence of Justice Abubakar Musa of the Federal High Court on Thursday, resulting in the tragic deaths of three persons.
The deceased were a welder named Salihu Abubakar and his two apprentices who were working to repair a leaking diesel container at the judge’s house in Kubwa.
According to an eyewitness account, the victims had commenced welding works on the container on Wednesday but could not complete the job due to power outage. They returned on Thursday morning to finish up when the blast occurred.
The remains of the deceased were evacuated by officers from Galadima Police Station and deposited in the mortuary.
Justice Musa confirmed being away from home when the incident happened. He expressed deep regret, noting that he had contracted a professional welder who had worked on his gate previously to fix the leaking container.
However, tensions arose when one of the victim’s brothers accused the judge of negligence. He said the deceased left behind eight young children.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the security guard at the judge’s house had warned the victims of the danger of welding a diesel-filled container. However, they reportedly dismissed his concerns leading him to leave the premises shortly before the explosion.
The estate police said the matter had been transferred to the Galadima police station but officers at the station refused to speak with this newspaper.
However, the FCT Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, confirmed that three persons died in the incident.
“There was a fire incident and we went there to check and provide security. They employed the services of a welder to fix a gas tank. The judge told us that the tank was leaking and he called them to weld it,” she said.
