Residents of Ibadan are seeking evidence that illegal miners and not terrorists are behind the massive explosion that rocked the Bodija area of the ancient city on Tuesday.
This comes as some allege that the building may have been a manufacturing one rather than a storage facility, just as daylight videos of the devastated area surfaced all over the Internet.
One source, who lives far away from Bodija says the blast has made him begin to take a second look at suspicious-looking fellow residents of his estate and unoccupied buildings that people stray in and out.
“Was the information on illegal miners fully processed before it was taken to the public domain. That should have been done, except Governor Makinde is very sure of what he was talking about,” Chief Kenny Ola, said.
“We need further information,” he said.
And on social media, this transpired between two analysts:
Ali: This illegal miner story, is it even true?
Olu: We can’t really say. That is what the Oyo State Governor actually said. Yet he has refused to disclose the miners and who they are.
Ali: That narrative is a dangerous one if no arrests have been made and no evidence that any of them died in the blast. Were Chinese persons living there, and what were they mining in Ibadan?
Olu: It is somehow fishy. What are they mining in Ibadan that could have warranted keeping such explosives in residential buildings?
Meantime, at least 15 persons have been removed from under the rubble during the ongoing rescue operations at the scene.
The Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross, Oyo State branch, Mr Olaleye Ojo, stated this in Ibadan on Wednesday, a day after the explosion.
He noted that the operation was jointly carried out by various agencies, including Red Cross, NEMA, SEMA and security agencies.
Ojo said that rescue operation commenced in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to him, they official have been attending to people and taking them to various hospitals.
“Rescue operations are still ongoing and we are trying to gather more information on the residents of the area.
“We cannot specifically say when the operation will be over,” Ojo said.
He stated that about 30 buildings were destroyed by the explosion.
Ojo stated that the injured people were taken to nearby hospitals, as government had made provision for them not to be rejected.
“Hospitals have been complying with government’s directives to accept victims of the explosion and give them adequate treatment,” he said.
The explosion destroyed some office buildings and other structures within the State Secretariat Complex in Agodi.
The impacts of the explosive were said to be severe on some buildings, media reports said.
Some of the affected offices included: Water Corporation building, which houses two ministries; the Revenue Building and the newly-built Local Government Service Commission building.
Others were: Local Government Staff Training School, some parts of the Governor’s Office, the State Secretariat Central Mosque and the Secretariat Chapel.
Shattered window glasses and doors, collapsed ceilings were observed, with some pieces of office equipment, such as computer systems littering the offices.
Some staffers of the affected offices were also seen in front of their offices discussing the incident, which they described as devastating.
A civil servant, who simply identified himself as Jide, said the incident was unfortunate, but gave glory to God that it happened after the close of work.
He said that it would have been worse if it had happened during work hours, saying many members of staff would have been trapped.