safety. Two months after residents of the rocky
community are yet to get over the scare. Taiwo Abiodun
reports.
The cock had just crowed at 3 o'clock on September 23, a
Monday. The farmers and the traders who mainly
dominate this town knew at once that they should be
getting ready to set out for the day's work. Seconds later
came a massive explosion. The earth shook, the houses
vibrated. No one could have missed the impact.
By now everyone had woken up, asking the nearest
person what was happening. There was no precise
answer, only gesticulations that indicated nothing.
In twos and threes, the panicked residents stepped out of
their houses to ascertain what had happened. What they
saw next would only confuse them and terrify them the
more: water gushing from the top of the rocks and
cascading down. Trees were uprooted and flung away,
some over 100 meters.
Food and cash crops were not spared.
There was no need for further probing; the race for
survival had begun. Some fled into the bush: some just
kept running, to nowhere in particular. Some were
practically unclad. Mothers reached for their children, all
screaming and running at the same time.
The explosion had blasted off the top of the rock, leaving
a huge opening through which the water gushed out. The
base of the rock was littered with gravel.
Olobeide village has 12 mud houses and about 200
inhabitants who are chiefly farmers. It is nearly three
kilometers from Ikeji- Ile. The town is surrounded by
rocks which seem to be competing for space with one
another.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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