A survivor of the explosion that rocked Ibadan, Oyo State capital, yesterday, has said it was foreigners, who engaged in illegal mining activities, that caused the explosion. He added that they ran out just before the blast.
The survivor, Alhaji Mohammed Musa, lived next to the epicentre (ground zero) of the explosion.
Though the official announcement of the casualty figure is yet to be made,it is being reported that three people died in the explosion.
UK returnee dead.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that one of the deceased is a United Kingdom, UK, returnee.
A viral video credits one Honourable Ayode Jajaye as stating that the UK returnee is the son of one of the landlords in the Ibadan estate where the explosion occurred.
He said: “Look at the guy that just died. He just came from the UK about a week ago. He’s a son to a landlord in this estate.
“My conclusion is that the government should investigate this situation. The casualties are too much. Look at damages. We can’t just look away.
“There are so many collateral damages that have happened.”
At the scene of the explosion yesterday, a body was brought out of the rubble and put in a body bag.
How I survived — Mohammed
Mohammed said he was rushed to the hospital and discharged this morning.
He said he escaped death by the whiskers because he offered to help his neighbor put out the fire that preceded the explosion.
Recall that his claim that foreign illegal miners caused the explosion was earlier voiced by Governor Seyi Makinde.
The foreigners
Also, speaking on the occupants of the house, he said: “The house where the fire started is occupied by a Senagalese or Namibian and they engage in mining activities.
“Definitely, they had explosives inside the building. The explosion was as a result of the explosives kept in the building.
“The foreigners have been living in here since 2013. They go in the morning and come back in the evening. I wouldn’t know if their immediate neighbour knows they are into mining.”
“The foreigners ran out before the explosion.”
Furthermore, he clarified that immediately after the foreigners saw the raging fire, they knew the implications because of what they kept inside.
Mohammed said: “They, including their children, ran out of the house and they didn’t alert us so that we could run away too.
“They knew the implications when they saw the fire. So they ran out without alerting us. Thank God I came down trying to help put out the fire. I would have been dead by now.
“The whole house would have collapsed on me. I wanted to save the house of my neighbor from being burnt. That’s what saved me. If anyone had been in the house, the person would have gone.”
Asked if he knew his neighbors were illegal miners he said: “We have them all over. They are also at Orogun. That’s their trade and that’s what they came to Nigeria to do. And explosives are part of the things they use in blasting. Definitely, they had kept them in the house.”
Peoplesmind
