Factory casual workers killed in chemical explosion

Three young casual workers, including a 19-year-old identified as Lateef Badmus have been killed following a chemical explosion at a manufacturing facility operated by Terra Acqua Limited located in Ota town, Ogun State.

Penpushing reports that the incident occurred on the company’s premises located at number 1 Agunloye Street, directly opposite Bells University in Ota, on June 27, 2025, as sources disclosed that the victims were hired as casual workers without formal contracts, safety training, or protective equipment before being exposed to hazardous substances.

The family of one of the victims in a statement issued on Monday by Samuel Dansuleimon on behalf of the family said he (Badmus) sustained severe burns and gave up the ghost a week later in hospital.

Penpushing further reports that the statement added that two others also reportedly died from injuries sustained in the explosion, accusing the company of exposing poor and untrained workers to dangerous materials under inhumane conditions.

“These are not just accidents — they are the direct result of preventable unsafe practices and the exploitation of poor, young, and untrained workers. Their lives were not disposable’, Dansuleimon wrote

Penpushing also reports that the family called for justice and compensation for the affected families, as well as the full prosecution of those responsible for violating labour safety regulations.

The statement emphasized that the family is calling for the immediate closure or sanctioning of Terra Acqua and for reforms in Nigeria’s industrial safety enforcement to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Penpushing reports that an official of the company who identified himself as Bolaji while reacting to the incident was quoted to have confirmed the incident and the loss, explaining that the company has scheduled a meeting with the victims’ families

The staffer maintained that the staffers were trained on safety measure contrary to believe that they did not have any training before being engaged, adding that the company met with the affected families on Sunday and asked to come back on Monday

“We did train them. We have been training all our staff periodically on safety measures. We have records of trainings. It’s an accident — nobody prays for such. Unfortunately, it happened the way it happened. We train them and we do regular training.  We have been training all our staff periodically on safety measures. Sometimes things like this do happen’, Bolaji stated

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