The story
Yesterday, 16th January 2024 Ibadan witnessed a very big bang. Some thought it was a tremor, many said it was a bomb. Their argument there is dust, smoke and particles all around BODIJA. The neighborhood where it happened. Was that only place where the bang was heard? No! It was heard far and wide. Almost all of Ibadan heard the bang. If not that I was still on earth I would have guessed that rapture had happened but what is a rapture without me?
The witness report
The Government told us that illegal miners stored explosives in a rented apartment in BODIJA, it caught fire and everything goes skrrah Pop pop ka-ka-ka Skidi-ki-pop-pop (Pah) and a pu-pu-brr-boom (Boom), it leveled the house affected neighboring houses and even buildings miles away.
Explosion causes vibration. And the vibration is what cause secondary damage. Ibadan recorded more than 80 people injured. 2 in fatalities and the number of the people in the house that there explosives were cannot be accounted for at the time of this report.
Eye witness who is a resident of the area where it happened said the neighbors have reported the building to police on several occasions, they were arrested twice and eventually released. And they continued their business of illegal mining with illegal and smuggled explosives
Nigerian factor
The explosives were stored by tenants, why will you rent your house for people who store explosives if you were not culpable?
The Neigbours, what is wrong with them? Well, we heard they told police who made arrests twice and released the suspects on both occasions without charging them to court.
Wait fez, how did they move the explosive from the heart of Ibadan to the mining site, right out of that street that is always a police check point. It’s also close to a police station, how have they been transporting explosives for years with all the checkpoints we have in this country?
How should it be done?
In Nigeria, we import explosives and with license you can import for mining purposes. When you import, police will escort you to the bomb shelter where you will keep it and be with you till and when you will be using it. The law and regulations doesn’t allow free wander of explosives without police supervision.
Well, this explosives in question was imported illegally! Smuggled into the heart of Ibadan.
We are who we are
We are who we are in this country because almost all of us are messed up, lives were lost. Many injured. Properties lost, businesses wiped, I heard of a friend who sells cars and lost at least 10 to the explosion. All of these happened because we all refused to do our part. Every single one of us. It is not corruption when we benefit from it. It is right and a testimony when we get paid even if they have to store explosives beside children’s school! If I am fine everybody can go to hell! And I think our leaders are the best out of us. They are sanest, they are the kindest of us all. If you are the police man that collected bribe to hide this explosives you killed those lives.
The custom officers and immigration that allowed explosives to be brought you are responsible for lives lost.
If you are a neighbor that refused to talk you are also responsible.
We deserve the government and the society we have.