Explosions Rock Nigerian City
By Associated Press

January 27, 2002, 4:16 PM EST

LAGOS, Nigeria -- An accident at a munitions depot caused a series of large
explosions Sunday night, military officials said, sending red fireballs into
the sky over Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos.

The blasts rocked the northern part of the sprawling city, shattering
windows at the airport six miles away and causing panicked residents to flee
the streets.

State and military officials went on national television to appeal for calm,
attributing the blasts to an accident at the Ikeja military base.

"Let me assure you that it has no political connotation at all," base
commander Brig. Gen. John Anda said. "This is an old ammunition depot which
has high-caliber bombs in there."

Residents were evacuated from the area, he said. There was no immediate word
on casualties.

The first explosion occurred shortly before 6 p.m. and was felt in
surrounding neighborhoods. More than a dozen blasts followed, and Anda said
they were likely to continue "for some time."

All flights were canceled at the city's international airport.

Oil-rich Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. The election of
President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 ended 15 years of brutal military rule,
but the country continues to suffer widespread poverty and ethnic divides
that regularly flare into violence.
Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

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