Following the massive explosion at Dejo Oyelese street in Bodija, Ibadan, on Tuesday, some of the victims have been counting their losses, with most of them rendered homeless.

Some of them, interviewed on Wednesday by our correspondent, described the incident as tragic.

Emmanuel Danladi said he was surprised when the loud noise sounded and the explosion happened. He said he and other people in his compound had to jump a close-by fence before crossing a river to escape from the explosion.

Danladi, who was seen moving away with his box, said the destruction was massive.

‘We jumped the fence, entered the river at the back and crossed to the other side. We came back when some calm had returned. The destruction is much, everything went down, even the house cracked.

‘‘Anything the government wants to do, they should consider supporting us with money. We do not have money, yet we need to pack to another estate for now,” he said.

OluwaYomife Olowe said his sister got injured in the explosion, with their building completely destroyed.

Olowe stated that though his sister is currently responding to treatment at the hospital, the level of destruction caused by explosion makes him sad.

He said he and his family will be moving in with a family member till they sort things out, as they do not have a home anymore.

‘‘The whole building is destroyed. There is practically nothing again. We can’t ascertain anything. We are just waiting for them to finish their investigation,” he added.

Olowe called on the government for support, saying that the affected residents could not handle the losses occasioned by the destruction alone.

“We don’t know where to start from. I don’t even want to think about the cost. I couldn’t sleep throughout last night. We just need help as much as possible,” he said.

Another victim, Rebecca Opakunbi said she was on her way back from the market when she heard the sound of the explosion. She recalled how she was unable to see clearly but managed to get to her house.

‘‘I was coming from the market. People were shouting for help. My sister and my brother were inside the house. I could not see but I started running and when I got there, I saw people that were already injured, covered in blood. Our neighbour was rushed to Redeemed hospital, some others were rushed to Modupe hospital,’’ she recalled.

Opakunbi, who also got treated in a nearby hospital alongside other neighbours, lamented that all their belongings had been destroyed.

‘‘There is nothing again, nothing that is useful here again. Everything has gone down, including the cars. We’re homeless, but we thank God for life.’’

Another resident, Solomon Omofegbene, whose parent’s house got destroyed, blamed the incident on lack of security.

‘‘For them to be have been able to bring those kind of things inside a residential area, it shows the security lapses,” he said.

Omofegbene, however, expressed joy that his mum, sister and children survived the explosion.

He called on the government to support the residents in fixing the affected buildings.

Taiwo Salami also blamed the incident on lack of adequate security in the country, adding that the incident reflected there was no safety or effective security in the country.

He also bemoaned the fact that all his property were lost.

“Everything I have is gone; the whole house, all the vehicles. In fact, every house in this area has to be completely demolished because there are structural defects already. As you can see, there are cracks everywhere. Everything has to be demolished and properly rebuilt, and we’re talking billions here.’’

Meanwhile, Bernard Akpa, another resident who witnessed the incident, said the explosion was really ‘heavy’. He said he suspected the Malian nationals who live in the area and use heavy equipment on their mining site.

‘‘I suspect those miners, the Malians that live here. Some of their equipment are supposed to be kept under a particular temperature that they cannot maintain here. The explosion was heavy, it was more than a bomb. I thought it was a rocket shot from somewhere. Immediately the incident occured, I was thrown off balance in my sitting room,’’ Akpa added.

PT