Fear grips me anytime I see a Goil filling station – June 3 disaster victim

Alex Mensah had gone to the station to buy fuel at the time of the explosion

A victim of the June 3 flood and fire disaster, Alex Mensah has revealed that he gets extremely frightened anytime he’s in town and cites a Goil filling station.

According to him, he still suffers psychological trauma nearly four years after the disaster which has maimed him and ruined his life.

He made the disclosure on Kasapa FM while commenting on the inauguration of a Special Disbursement Committee on Tuesday by the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery to disburse monies raised for victims of the June 3, 2015 disaster.

He charged the Committee chaired by Deputy Director General of NADMO, Mr Seji Saji to disburse all monies raised to the victims and to disburse the Benin Government’s $200,000 support fund too.

On June 3, 2015, hundreds of people who were seeking shelter at the Goil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle after hours of heavy downpour were consumed by a raging fire, with some of the corpses burnt beyond identification.

Alex Mensah, a driver by profession who had gone to buy fuel at the time of the incident sustained severe burns on parts of the body.

According to him, no official of Goil Company has visited nor said a word to any of the victims nearly four years after the disaster.

“When I move around in town and I see a Goil filling station signboard anywhere fear grips me suddenly. I’m able to move about in town only by the grace and strength of God. Goil has been very unfair to us the victims of the fire disaster because they hear us every time. Even if they’ll not support us financially, they could even visit us and give us words of encouragement.

Alex Mensah added: I’m sure Goil will receive insurance from their insurance company, I was going to buy fuel at the filling station when the rains set in and now see the way I’ve been maimed and deformed. As I speak, the corpse of my mate has not been found almost four years after the incident. My car owner’s burnt vehicle is still parked on the premises of the Goil filling station, but he has not received a dime from Goil. We the victims even plan to besiege the head office of Goil and sleep there for three days to demand compensation, if that is what they want us to do.”