Ayodele Elijah Odeyemi is a resident of Adeyi Avenue in Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State which was recently rocked by an explosion of improvised explosive devices allegedly owned by a miner. In this interview with IFEDAYO OGUNYEMI, he speaks on the events that surrounded the explosion of Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
Where were you and what were you doing when the explosion occurred?
I was on my way out of my house and about to take a walk when the explosion happened. When we first heard the sound, we couldn’t think of anything but safety. We heard as lot of the houses were crumbling down. We thought it was a missile based on the magnitude of the explosion.
How would you describe your state of mind before, during and after the explosion?
It was a terrible situation. Usually, I take a walk everyday after dinner but I was in a light mood that day before the unfortunate situation happened. My house is about 50 metres from the point of impact. My nephew, who was with me, and I immediately laid flat on the ground. The thought that crossed my mind was that probably a war had started. Seriously, we should thank God for the peace of mind he has endowed us with in Nigeria. We cannot advocate for war, ethnic or tribal clash because what we experienced is just a tip of what war could really birth.
How and what do you feel now?
It still feels like a dream, and I am still not able to snap out of that traumatic moment caused by the explosion. Ever since the day it happened, I have been mentally unstable; my psychosocial skill has been tampered with and I now find it difficult to flow with my environment in the ways I usually relate. I just see everything around me as a threat and every little sound is magnified in my head as an explosion. Even when something little drops, it gives me a magnified boom.
What kind of injury did you or those in your building sustain from the explosion?
Although I had no physical injury from the explosion, it caused me severe psychological and emotional injury. I have been suffering from chest pains from the way I hurriedly laid down on the ground when the explosion happened. I have not had a good night rest since then too. I can’t sleep for a complete eight hours without hearing it echo in my head and gearing me to wake up even if I’m able to sleep. I get seriously scared at any slight sound. And my mind keeps going back to that period any time I hear the sound of a siren because it brings back the horrible memories of that time when first responders rescued casualties all through the night. I couldn’t sleep all through the night of the explosion. Everything feels so strange and unusual.
In what ways did the explosion affect your building/apartment?
The explosion affected a lot of the structural strength of my house. All the windows shattered, the roof was damaged and the POP in the house fell off. The walls cracked open from the top to the foundation in different places. If a careful evaluation of the house’s integrity is tested or carried out, I am pretty sure there will be other damages that we haven’t seen yet.
Has the damage been rectified yet?
We haven’t embarked on or planned any substantial repairs for now because it is too much to bear alone. We hope there will be government intervention as promised. The impact is beyond what an individual would want to face alone.
Based on your observation that night and the morning after, how would you assess the level of the impact on the explosion on the people and that community?
The explosion was like a rain of terror; it was unprecedented. I have never had an experience of such in my life. The explosion not only took down houses but also affected the whole community. It is even beyond what people are seeing online. You need to get to the site of the explosion to see for yourself; buildings were turned apart and structures were shattered. I would say the level of the impact on the people and the community is beyond what could be described or even captured on camera. The explosion left the whole community in ruins. People’s sweats and life achievements all went down the drain in one big explosion. What used to be a once beautiful community became the opposite of beautiful while some people’s homes became their burial sites.
Your house is just a few metres from the site of the explosion. Do you or any of your neighbours have an idea that explosives were being stored in the vicinity?
This environment is secluded and is supposed to be a private environment where activities are filtered and security leveled up but we were betrayed when we realised that the estate has become so porous that an individual could keep explosive devices (that should never be kept in a residential area) in the estate.
How do you think estate/community leaders and government can prevent a reoccurrence?
Close monitoring and tightening of security measures would help the estate/community to secure the lives and property within the estate and like the governor rightly said, if you see something, say something. Do not conceal the unethical or unusual activities of your neighbour, know your environment well and report strange transactions or activities. The government should also help filter and punish anyone caught in the act of illegality.
. TheWitness
