Panic As Heavy Explosion Rocks Ibadan, Oyo State

Some residents of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, said there was an explosion in parts of the state capital.

There were also videos online that showed a dusty cloud and burning houses and cars.

A University of Ibadan student, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone said, “It is true. We all heard the sound and it was very loud. The cloud is cloudy with smoke. it happened at Bodija and we in the UI area could see the smoke. Even those at Sango and Ojo heard the sound. In fact, we are all in a room scared for our life.”

Motunrayo Adegboro, another resident of Barika, about 15 minutes away from the site of the blast in Ibadan confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Tuesday night.

She said, “Some people claimed it was a gas explosion while others said it was a filling station.

“It happened in Bodija. A mall, Ace Mall even collapsed.”

An  X user, @WillieWinehouse tweeted, “A f***ing bomb just exploded in Ibadan! My entire house and street are in ruins!! What is going on!!”

Another X user, @the_beardedsina said that there were serious casualties and medical personnel were needed.

He tweeted, “Please Retweet if you see this. If you are a Medical personnel in Ibadan & close by. Please our help & assistance is needed at Adeyi Avenue, Bodija. There are serious casualties there. Please help share.”

The state government, has, however, confirmed the explosion.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation,  Dotun Oyelade, in a statement said, “Residents of Ibadan and immediate environ experienced an uncommon explosion about 8pm this evening.

“There are various interpretations of the incident but it is important for us to state categorically that the state government has taken over and in full control of the unfortunate occurrence in order to mitigate the incident.

“All security service chiefs including paramilitary chiefs and Fire Operatives have been deployed by the governor to Reign in the spillover from the explosion.

“His Excellency,  Governor Seyi Makinde, therefore implores citizens to calm down and be rest assured that their interests are being looked after.”

There was no confirmation as to whether there were casualties or not as of the time of filing this report.