Ibadan Explosion: We didn’t know someone was storing explosives, Estate Secretary, Ogini recounts

 

By Ifeoluwa Akinola  

The explosion that rocked Bodija area of Ibadan on Tuesday, 16th of January, 2024 has left quite a number of persons homeless, some injured and so far, three deaths.

According to Governor of Oyo state, Engineer Seyi Makinde, preliminary investigations have traced this blast to the storage of explosives by illegal miners at a house on Dejo Oyelese Street, Bodija.

So far, ongoing rescue operations carried out by the security agencies, first responders, emergency services, and all other relevant agencies have rescued about 80 victims with almost 60 of them treated in private and teaching hospitals like the University teaching hospital UCH. However, three persons have been recorded dead and one person.

 

So far, questions yet unanswered is that identity of the mining company and persons who negligently stored mining explosives in the house.

Nigerian Tribune Online spoke with a resident of Dejo Oyelese street, who is also the Secretary to the Landlord Association and he gives his first hand account of how the explosion started, felt and a hint on the personality of the miners that stored explosives which wreaked havoc on their homes.

How explosion started

There was an explosion yesternight at about 7: 30 yesterday night. I was watching football match in my sitting room. All of a student, I heard a big bang. I knew there was an explosion. I thought the world had come to an end. Everywhere became suddenly dark and quiet. After a few minutes, I heard my wife calling me from the bedroom because I was in the sitting room. There was blood on her toes because the ceiling had shattered and injured her toes.

We ran out because everywhere was very dark, there was no light, maybe due to the explosion. I had to take her to a nearby hospital to treat her leg.

From the hospital we went to my mother inlaw’s house where we passed the night.

We came back this morning at about 7:15 am. It was difficult to come into the neighbourhood because there were so many people at the gate but because I was the general secretary, I was allowed to come in with my wife.

Immediately we drove straight to where the incident happened.

It was when we got there that I met some of the residents in the neighnourhood who gave me the information that one of the residents, a miner, was storing explosives in his apartment.

At about 7:20, there was a fire outbreak in that house. It was the fire outbreak that extended to the explosion of the explosives. From there, we could see that most of the houses in the neighbourhood had their roofs caved in, their ceilings shattered, and their windows shattered. Some had to park out because the house has become a set of rubble.

So many people from everywhere came to see what happened in the neighbourhood.

We did not know in the neighbourhood that somebody was storing explosives. We kknew it was an explosion. I even thought it was a bomb because it was a very loud bang. The whole neighbourhood was in total darkness. The air was polluted. Ne could not breathe properly.

The Extent of Damage at Reverend Aderinola Street

The Commissioner came and met with the Chairman of the Landlord association but I have not been able to hear details of the discussion yet because there was a lot of crowd. I believe they must have discussed how things will move forward.

It affected nearly all the houses in the neighbourhood. If your roof or ceiling was not caved in, your windows would be shattered but for me, my bedroom and one other room ceiling caved in.

All others too have their losses to bear.

The Reverend Aderinola street has no houses anymore. The affected house where the dynamites explosives were stored was razed to the ground. The houses surrounding it or adjacent it were all destroyed to the ground. It is true that the whole houses on that street are all down to the ground. The only houses still standing have their ceiling caved in and the wall can collapse any minute.

Some people died but I don’t know how many. Some died and are still trapped within the rubbles.

There is a school hostel right opposite that house and I heard the girls were evacuated to another place.

We have more older people above 60, 80, 90 years living in that street.

The people affected, Rules of Tenancy in Dejo Oyelese Estate

We have an association that holds meeting every last saturday of the month to discuss the affairs of the estate. We have professionals , it is a well organised estate

The people living in that street have been law abiding people.

This particular man that owns the house where the explosives are kept is not always around. I suspect he must have gone to wherever they do their mining. It is the wife that we always see at the meeting. He comes by himself, occasionally.

We don’t even know he was storing explosives in his apartment. It was when the whole thing happened that we discovered.

He has a wife, I don’t know details about his daily life but he is not a Nigerian. We call him Alhaji Kamara.

He is not always around and I am sure he was not around. I am not sure if his wife was around. But the whole place is levelled to the ground. The girls hostel was also badly affected.

A lot of people were seriously affected. Neighborhood areas were affected as far as Omi Adio, Apata, Ring road felt the impact of the explosion.

Rules about tenancy

The rules for new tenants is that you have to register with registrar of the Estate. We have names and numbers of everybody in the neighbourhood. We have 11 members of the Estate Association executives. We take the name where you live and handed pamphlets of the rules and regulation of the estate. And also pay your security dues.

The only surprising thing is that we never imagined that anyone would be storing explosives in the house. It is shocking.

The security secretary, the house of the Chairman were seriously affected.

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Credit: Tribune