Petrol black market operator loses wife and children as his shop explodes

David Olabanji, a black market operator, has lost his wife identified as Rhoda, and their two children, as his shop in the Dantata area of Satellite Town, Lagos State, exploded on Saturday, August 20, 2022.

Olabanji who was said to have been in the business of adulterated petroleum products was at his stop, alongside a few others, when the explosion suddenly happened.

Immediately after the shop exploded, Olabanji’s wife, who left their kids with him, quickly ran to rescue them, but lost her life in the process.

An eyewitness of the incident, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, stated that the fire from the explosion burnt Rhoda and the children to death.

“The man usually deals in the adulteration of PMS products, among others, in his shop. Around 4.30pm on the day of the incident, the man and his wife were outside the shop, while their children were sleeping inside when fire started burning the shop.

 “The wife quickly rushed in to rescue her children but she was unlucky. She, alongside her children, got burnt to death by the fire. The man also made an attempt to rescue his family but he couldn’t.

 “He sustained severe burns and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The man was adulterating petroleum products around the shop when the explosion happened,” the source gave his account of the incident.

Another eyewitness, who identified herself as Janet Oluwawemimo said Rhoda called for help when the fire was burning, but the intensity of the inferno discouraged people from rescuing them.