Crimes

Woman: How my brother died in Ibadan explosion

A woman, Adebola Adebisi, says she lost her brother, identified simply as Oladipupo, to the explosion in the Bodija area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday night.

Adebisi said she was not at home when the explosion occurred but the deceased was at home as of the time of the incident.

The woman made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen at the scene of the incident in Ibadan on Wednesday.

She said: “I rushed down home when I heard about the incident and everywhere was dark and I could not see anything.

“It was this morning that I was able to see the level of damage done by the explosion.

“The explosion affected our shop and house and I lost someone very dear to me.

“He was at home and trekking outside the house when the incident happened.”

Adebisi further expressed displeasure over how the explosion occurred in the area and called on the government to investigate the incident and expose those behind it.

No fewer than 30 houses and 15 vehicles were destroyed beyond repair as a result of the explosion.

Two persons were said to have lost their lives while 77 were injured.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, said the incident was caused by illegal miners who allegedly stored explosive devices in their apartment.

Hamzat said some documents had been recovered at the scene and the name of the mining company had been identified, adding that an investigation into the explosion was ongoing.

The Star