Panic as Explosion Rocks Katampe Power Station in Abuja

Reports reaching our newsroom said   a blast accompanied with a loud bang rocked the Katampe power transmission sub-station located in the Katampe district in Abuja on Monday night.
Eyewitnesses said the  incident which happened at about 7:00pm at the station located along Kubwa-Suleja expressway near the popular Tipper Garage sent panic to residents around the area and passengers waiting for vehicles that would commute them home.
Security sources who were on ground said the incident was not an act of sabotage, as the blast was not a bomb explosion from any improvised explosive device.
An eye witness said that “we heard loud bang on some of the transformers as well as a thick smoke billowing up from them pointing at the direction of the sub-station.
The sound was deafening and sent panic across persons close to the station forcing residents out of their homes seeking to know the cause of the sudden loud bang that disturbed their rest form work.
Residents of Abuja said the  panic  may not  be unconnected with the recent alert by the United States Government that terrorists were planning to attack FCT.
Another eyewitness and commercial driver who was close to the scene of the incident identified himself as Uche said that: “Particles from the station hit my bus,”.
“Everybody was so frightened that we were initially confused and feared it was a bomb attack,” he stated.
Curious passersby were sighted around the facility with some cars parked around the arena as at the time of the incident.Their mission around the facility could not, however, be ascertained as at the time of this report but speculation was that they were staff members on duty or mere road users.
It was gathered that the facility was a 330/132KV transmission substation being managed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) as the implementing agency for the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).
“The substation which was part of NIPP lot 10 transmission-contract was targeted to boost electricity supply to Abuja and its environs,” a source volunteered.
The source further hinted that, “The Katampe substation extension project consists of 1X150MVA 330/132/33KV power transformer, 1x330KV transformer bay, 1x132KV transformer bay, 1x300KVA 33KV and earthling transformer.
“The facility had increased the capacity available to Abuja from 300MVA to 450MVA
“Now that part of this substation has been damaged, there is every possibility that electricity distribution here will be adversely affected,” the source feared.
There was no incident of human casualty at as press time.