Munitions depot ‘accident’ sparks blasts

An accident at a munitions depot caused a series of large explosions sending red fireballs into the sky over Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Last night’s blasts rocked the northern part of Lagos, shattering windows and causing panicked residents to flee the streets screaming.

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 Brigadier General John Anda said. ‘‘This is an old ammunition depot, which has high-calibre bombs in there.’’

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

The first explosion happened shortly before 6pm (5pm GMT) and was felt in surrounding neighbourhoods. More than a dozen blasts followed, and Anda said they were likely to continue ‘‘for some time’’.

Windows were shattered six miles away at the international airport, where officials cancelled all flights.

The oil-rich nation of 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 dangerous ethnic and religious divides that regularly flare into violence.

Police said the blasts had apparently been touched off by an explosion at a nearby fuel station.

Army spokesman Felix Chukwumah said the weapons stockpile included a large amount of heavy artillery ammunition returned to Nigeria following peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Soldiers and police cordoned off the blocks surrounding the depot, where witnesses said at least two houses were burning as pieces of flaming shrapnel fell from the sky.

Despite the danger, some residents decided to stay behind to protect their homes and businesses from looters.