Many people are said to have been injured after an explosion rocked Oyo state capital, Ibadan on Tuesday evening.
According to reports, residents, said houses and cars far from the scene of the explosion were impacted by the blast wave.
“We heard a loud bang around 07:30pm. Dominos shattered, Ace Mall in Bodija Ibadan destroyed,” a panic-stricken resident told our correspondent over the phone.
The number of casualties could not be confirmed as of press time but it was gathered that victims have been rushed to hospitals while some residents are trapped in the rubble of buildings that caved in due to the impact of the blast.
The Zonal Coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the South-West, Saheed Akiode, stated that emergency responders including the operatives of the Fire Service in Oyo State have been deployed to the scene of the incident on Awolowo Way by Adeyi Avenue, behind a Central Mosque, in Bodija, Ibadan.
Also, in a terse statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Oyo State Government said it is aware of reports of an explosion in the state.
“Residents are urged to remain calm as security agencies are investigating this to determine the source and cause of the incident,” the government said.
In an update, the state government said, “Relevant agencies are carrying out search and rescue operations at the scene of the incident.”
Similarly, the Oyo State Police Command in a post on X confirmed the explosion.