That fateful day, a truck moving some explosive items to Edo State had broken down in the area, soon going up in flames and destroying almost anything within sight.
Residents of Eleyewo, Iluabo and Osi at Oba Ile in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State are yet to heave a sigh of relief after the explosion that rocked the communities on March 28, 2020, destroying over 100 houses and other valuables.
That fateful day, a truck moving some explosive items to Edo State had broken down in the area, soon going up in flames and destroying almost anything within sight.
Our correspondent, who visited the community on Monday, came across many residents affected by the blast, who are still lamenting their losses.
Findings revealed that some residents were now taking refuge in churches, mosques, gas stations and houses of friends close to the neighbourhood since the tragic incident.
Many buildings in the area remain destroyed while owners have abandoned them for the time being.
The few ones, who are able to gather money, were seen repairing their roof when our correspondent visited the area.
Owners of Aina Awwal International School and Possibility Ground Mountain for All Nations were yet to repair their shattered buildings, it was observed during the visit by our correspondent.
Some residents, who spoke with SaharaReporters in the community, said the blast had rendered them homeless and there was no way they could raise money to rebuild their houses.
They disclosed that many of the buildings affected by the explosion and marked with red paint was being valued for compensation by owner of the company whose truck caused the explosion.
According to them, several meetings had been held to call the attention of government to their plight but none had yielded positive result so far.
One of the residents, Mrs Tope Adegoriola, whose house was badly affected by the blast, told our correspondent that life had become tougher for her and her two children since the explosion occurred. [story_link align="left"]79205[/story_link]
She said, “Since the incident occurred, we can’t even sleep in the house again because the roof to the house was ripped off by the explosion even the building is no longer strong.
“So, we have packed some of our belongings to our church in the town and that is where we now stay until we are able to see money to change the roof.
“We are yet to get any compensation from the government despite all the promises. They have left us to our fate and this is sad.”
Bayo Ilerioluwa, another resident of the community, said that none of the residents affected by the explosion had been compensated for the damage done to their property.
“We are yet to get any compensation for the damages done to our building and we are still expecting because the incident is now more than a month.
“In fact, thieves and burglars have been regular visitors to some of us (residents) who manage to stay in our houses because we have nowhere to go and sleep.
“Some of the buildings have no windows again while the doors too have been badly damaged by the blast yet there is no compensation for us.”
A 65-year-old man named Ganiyu told SaharaReporters that he had been rendered homeless by the incident after losing his newly completed house in the area.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had visited the scene and described the explosion including its effect on residents as unfortunate.
The governor however, noted that the firm that owned the explosives that destroyed the building would be made to pay for them but that has not been fulfilled till this time.