By Olabode Lucas
The latest conflict between the Palestinians and Israel started on October 7, when on the morning of that day, waves of Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza border into Israel and fired thousands of rockets. Many Israelis’ houses were attacked, and many Israelis were killed including youths having a musical festival. According to Israel prime minister, 1,200 Israelis were killed with 6,900 injured. 253 Israelis were taken as hostages and taken to Gaza by Hamas.
Israel, who believes in ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ responded swiftly with unabated fury on 0ctober 27, 2023. On this day, the well organized and ferocious Israel Defence Force (IDF) entered Gaza Strip with clear instruction from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wipe out Hamas from existence. Since that day, the world has witnessed the horrendous destruction going on in Gaza. Houses were razed to the ground; hospitals and other essential infrastructure were wantonly destroyed.
For the residents Of Dejo Oyelese Street and adjoining streets at old Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan, the trauma and pain presently going on in Gaza strip was brought to their doorstep without notice on Tuesday January 16, without any warning.
Dejo Oyelese Street is a highbrow residential area in Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan. Bodija Housing Estate is the first housing estate in the whole of Africa started by the government of the visionary Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the fifties. Among its residents we have former vice chancellor, renowned professors in medicine, agriculture and humanities, top class engineers, reputable business man and women and highly regarded retired civil servants. I count myself to be a resident of this highbrow serene location.
For me, this day of infamy started like any other day. I was buoyed on that day by the fact that I would be watching good football matches at the ongoing AFCON competition on the television in the evening. I planned to end my television viewing on that day with my favourite programme ‘Hard Talk’ on BBC. True to my plan in the evening, I started to watch Tunisia versus Namibia match and mid-way to this match around 7: 30pm, and with my wife taking a phone call near me, I heard an unprecedented loud deafening bang, the type of which I have never heard in my life.
I first thought it was a thunder strike. The three of us in my household that night through God’s grace remained calm in the midst of the melee around us. We heard sound of broken glasses all around us. We managed to walk out of the building after the noise has subsided. It was extremely dark outside and the whole environment was enveloped in dust and smoke. However, we managed our way to the street.
The whole of the street was filled to the brim like a football stadium. Everybody had left their buildings to take refuge on the street like me. People were milling around aimlessly on the street with many covered with blood and dust. Small children were crying about without anybody giving them any attention. One harrowing sight for me that night was that of a woman more than 80 years old walking about stark naked. She was distraught and confused and was later taken to the hospital in a very pathetic state. I saw dead bodies being evacuated from collapsed buildings. There was a lot of confusion and pandemonium. It was not possible to see the level of destruction both to human lives and properties at that night of horror. About an hour after the explosion and with many people still in state of shock, the security personnel descended on the street with full force to keep order and prevent looting by area boys who had now invaded the streets in large number.
There were many rumours about the cause of the explosion. Some of the rumours were jejune and bizarre. The only probable cause of the explosion one could hold on to was that given by the state governor, Seyi Makinde, when he later visited the site. He said that the explosion was caused by explosives kept by an illegal miner.
As the night progressed, the officials of the state government arrived at the scene and swung into action. The protocol officer of the governor, Otunba Gboyega Badejo announced to the people that the governor has given an order that people should go to nearby hotels where they would be accommodated free of charge and that wounded people should be taken to hospital where they would be treated free of charge. Later, the governor, Seyi Makinde and his deputy visited the scene of the explosion to assess the damage and sympathize with the people.
At dawn, the magnitude of the devastation of Dejo Oyelese Street and adjoining streets assailed the residents with distressing poignancy. Many beautiful houses standing regally less than 24 hours earlier especially those near the epicentre collapsed like pack of cards and reduced to rubbles; cars that adorned some of these houses were mangled and piled over one another. The buildings that were still standing had their roofs and ceilings destroyed. Most houses had their doors and windows smashed and twisted beyond recognition and tossed many meters away.
An initial rough estimate put the figure of houses affected by explosion at 95. It is no exaggeration to say that the destruction at Dejo Oyelese and the adjoining street especially at Aderinola Street is nothing short of what is happening at Gaza strip.
The unexpected bomb blast in an otherwise peaceful suburb has really traumatised the residents of the area who are mainly retired Nigerians and who had served their country meritoriously in their youth. They are not only disillusioned but they are homeless. What happened was not caused by them as unmitigated disaster was brought to their doorsteps by unscrupulous people under the nose of our security agencies. Residents in other areas in Ibadan are now raising alarm about explosives being kept in their neighbourhoods.
In his first reaction, Governor Makinde said the explosion was caused by explosives stored by illegal miner. The man being fingered for this deadly action is Youssouf Sawane, a Malian, who in 2022 gave an interview that he was not an illegal miner. He said that his company was registered in Nigeria with a Nigerian director. He arrogantly said in the interview that he helped in boosting the economy of Oyo State by giving employment to people of the state and that he paid taxes regularly to the federal government. Specifically on the Bodija blast, whilst sympathizing with the people, he said he had nothing to do with the blast. The latest from Oyo State government is that three people who are not named have been identified as being responsible for the “remote and immediate” cause of the explosion. The government promised to prosecute them. The people of the state and other Nigerians really want to know what really happened at Bodija.
Immediately the blast occurred, the state government took some commendable actions and victims were asked to put down their names with details of their losses at the Bodija Housing Corporation Office. This was more than three weeks ago and up till now, nothing has come out of the exercise. The government needs to act fast. Many house owners are still in hotels with little or no action on their houses. The rain will soon commence and so the people need help urgently from the government as most of them are senior citizens who want to live their twilight years in peace and tranquillity.
I will like to end this piece by appealing to the federal government to have a blueprint on mining in Nigeria. The situation where illegal miners are having devious hold on our God-given mineral resources is unacceptable as it is an affront on our sovereignty. The Minister of Mineral Resources, Dele Alake has his work cut out for him: He should swing into action to get rid of these vermin destroying our economy. There is also a need for constitutional change to allow the governors of states to have a say on how mineral resource in their States are exploited.
• Professor Lucas writes from Old Bodija, Ibadan.
