9 hospitalised in Ekiti after inhaling smoke from dump site

By YINUSA ISHOLA

No fewer than nine residents of Ilokun Government Reservation Area, within the vicinity of Progress FM in Ado-Ekiti, have been hospitalised after inhaling thick smoke emanating from a dump site located in the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the victims, including children, were rushed to a nearby hospital after inhaling the thick smoke from the dump site, which was set on fire.

NAN reports that heavy smoke generated from burning of the dump site was said to have enveloped the whole community few minutes after it was set ablaze, which invariably affected health of inhabitants.

Meanwhile, some members of the community have protested the location of the dump site in the community and called for its relocation.

Confirming the incident, Mrs Olayinka Ajayi, the Treasurer, Landlord Association in the community, told newsmen that she was one of the victims.

Ajayi claimed she was rushed to the hospital, adding that she was restored to life with inhaler when she could not breathe properly after inhaling the smoke.

She said the best option was to relocate the dump site from the community.

According to her, it has subjected residents of the community to various health hazards.

In his reactions, Mr Bayo Keleku, the Sole Administrator, Ekiti State Waste Management Authority, said that the state government was trying its best to manage the dump site in a way that it won’t pose threat to health of residents.

Keleku said the site was set ablaze by suspected bystanders and not the workers of the agency as being speculated. (NAN)