A tragic incident occurred at Quantum Steel Industry in Ogijo, Ogun State, resulting in the death of a forklift operator named Abayomi. This accident happened just two months after the factory was reopened following a previous explosion that critically injured seven workers.
According to an anonymous worker, the mishap happened when a foreign machine operator instructed Abayomi to remove a piece of scrap metal stuck in a grinding machine. Unaware that the machine was still powered on, Abayomi reached in to clear the obstruction, and the machine suddenly activated, causing fatal injuries. Despite immediate efforts by colleagues to rescue him, Abayomi was found dead upon extraction.
Attempts to obtain official comments from the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, were unsuccessful. However, a local police officer familiar with the case confirmed the incident during a private phone conversation. Efforts to reach Quantum Steel Industry for a response also failed, as the contact listed on their website stated he was not authorized to speak with the media.
This incident follows a March 7 report detailing the closure of Quantum Steel Industry and Xinfeng Plastics Limited by the Ogun State Government after separate industrial accidents. These incidents had already resulted in one death and multiple severe injuries. Farook Akintunde, the Special Adviser to the Ogun Governor on Environmental Protection and Chairman of the State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, stated that the government shut down the factories to prevent further accidents.
