• No cause for alam, situation under control Oyo Govt
By Oluseye Ojo
There was an explosion in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday evening, which rocked some parts of Ibadan.
The places mentioned to have been affected by the quake include Oritamefa, Mokola, Bodija, Oketunnu, Sango, Apete, Jericho, Idi Ishin.
Although the actual cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained as at press time, some said it was caused by bomb explosion, while others said it was caused by earth quake.
Glasses of some houses in sections of the affected communities were reportedly shattered. The incident was also said to have affected some parts of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. The glass windows at the UCH School of Nursing hostel were shattered.
A resident of Mokola in Ibadan, Stephen, Gbadamosi, said: “We are yet to know the exact thing that happened. Everybody in Obasa, Bodija, Sango, Mokola and so on is in panic mode.
“I heard a loud noise 20 to 30 mintutes ago and my wife confirmed that the house shook as if it was a tremor.”
Another source said: “Someone called me from Apete just now that she heard a loud sound, while her friend at Bodija told her that their house was shaking.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Oyo State, Prince Dotun Oyelade, has issued a statement on the development.
The statement read: “Residents of Ibadan and immediate environs 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 in order to mitigate the incident.
“All security service chiefs, including the paramilitary chiefs and fire service 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.”