US embassy cable - 03LAGOS265

UNCLAS LAGOS 000265 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/AF, DS/DSS/OSAC, DS/IP/CC, 
CA/OCS/ACS, AF/W 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, KCRM, CASC, PINS, EIND, EPET, PGOV, EINV, NI 
SUBJECT: EXPLOSION IN LAGOS 
 
1.  Sensitive But Unclassified. 
 
 
2.  At approximately 1110 on Sunday, February 2, 2003, there 
was an explosion in Idumagbo Street, located between the 
Carter Bridge and Third Mainland Bridge on Lagos Island.  The 
area is a lage market and residential area comprised of two 
and three story business and residential buildings. 
 
 
3.  No official Americans live on Lagos Island and no FSN 
staff have been identified as living in this area of Lagos. 
The closest USG facility to the area of the explosion is the 
Consulate's Public Affairs Section which is located on the 
opposite end of the island about four miles away.  Three 
buildings reportedly collapsed as a result of the explosion 
and several others are severely damaged.  Julius Berger 
Construction Company was asked to assist with rescue 
operations.   As of 1600 hours local on 3 February, there are 
no known American casualties among the twenty-eight confirmed 
dead, and up to fifty injured. 
 
 
4.  Immediately following the explosion "area boys" and 
others began looting a bank that was either at ground zero or 
near the point of detonation.  It took police several hours 
to contain the looting.  Police have reportedly cordoned off 
the area. 
 
 
5.  Local Guard Force REACT vehicles were sent to the area to 
ascertain the cause of the explosion.  There are no confirmed 
reports of how the explosion occurred. 
 
 
6.  Speculative reports point to several possible causes of 
the explosion.  Initial reports indicated that either 
political motives, an attempt to hide problems at the bank, 
or a bank robbery gone bad were behind the blast.  The police 
bomb squad continues to investigate, but offered RSO the 
possibility that some repairmen caused the explosion while 
drilling a hole and hitting some electrical wires connected 
to a water heater.  Other reports indicate there may have 
been a bomb or a collection of gas cylinders that exploded. 
Immediately after the blast, the Lagos State Governor's 
office told CG that a gas cylinder in an area of poorly 
constructed buildings could have been responsible for the 
total collapse of one building and severe damage to others. 
The police are not expected to have conclusive evidence of 
the cause for at least several days. 
HINSON-JONES