A Malian gemstone dealer, Alhaji Sawane Youssouf has said he did not own a house or rented an apartment at Dejo Oyelese street Bodija Ibadan
Reacting to insinuations that he is the owner of the Ground Zero Building where the explosives that led to the explosion were stockpiled and warehoused, prior to the incident, Youssouf said “while we are still mourning the dead and counting our losses, I felt the need to, once again, state my own side of the story to clear the mind of the public about my alleged involvement in the sad occurrence.”
“Though I live in Ibadan, I have never rented or owned a house at Dejo Oyelese Avenue, Bodija Ibadan, where the incident happened and I also don’t have anything to do with the explosives that led to the huge loss of human lives and the collateral destruction of property at the scene of the incident”
Sawane appealed the Oyo State Government, security agencies and other appropriate authorities to beam their searchlight further to reveal the identity of the REAL OWNER(S) of the building and the explosives that led to the explosion that of 16th January, 2024.
He also said he is available to help the security agencies in the course of further investigation into the sad incident.
While commiserating with the victims, The gemstone dealer said “the unfortunate incident which occured at Dejo Oyelese Close, Off Adeyi Avenue, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State on the sad evening of Tuesday,
16th January, 2024, remains fresh in the memory of every peace-loving people and residents of the state. Many innocent souls perished, while several buildings and other property were totally destroyed and lost to the sad occurrence. May God rest the souls of the dead and grant the victims and the Oyo State Government the serenity to bear the loss.
