PHOTOS: Ibadan explosion scene, one year after

On this date a year ago, a normal Tuesday evening was unfurling for residents of Aderinola street, Bodija axis of Ibadan, Oyo state.

In an instant, however, everything changed.

At about 7:30pm, a power surge sparked a fire at the meter board of some residents and in the local transformer.

The fire ignited some dynamites that were stored in the basement of N0 8B. An explosion ensued that led to the loss of at least five lives with over 50 buildings reduced to rubble.

Here are before and after photos of some of the houses affected by the blast.

TheCable just paid a visit to what has become a rustic neighbourhood.

Ground zero, where three houses once stood, is now a plain vegetation with two flags — that of Nigeria and Oyo.

TheCable also noticed soldiers and operatives of Amotekun, the south-west security outfit, milling round the place. They were initially deployed to the scene to keep looters at bay.

Additional reporting by Jemilat Nasiru