Inside di Nigerian community wia rock blasting dey shake residents and houses

"Wetin hapun be say one day we just see say dem come, dem say make we comot say dem wan come blast."

Femi Odimayo acquire im land for Imafon, Akure North local govment area for Ondo State Nigeria since ova ten years ago, but for 2025, e shock am say one company bin tok say dem wan begin dey blast rock for di area wey near im house

Femi join several pipo wey dey live for Uluyagbo community, Imafon, wey say dem dey experience heavy blasting wey dey shake dia houses and destroy some structures.

Femi tell BBC News Pidgin say wen di blasting wan hapun, dem go send all di pipo for di community comot and by di time wey dem go return, dem go see say dia houses don dey affected.

"Evribodi run comot, we go di oda side. Bifor we come back, dem don spoil my house finish, you dey see am, evritin, di roof of my house don spoil, we start to dey see crack evriwia."

We visit Uluyagbo community for Imafon, Ondo state wia we see di location of di blasting.

During di visit, part of wetin we see na places wey be say dem don dig, and wey be say dem just recently blast rock.

Rock blasting na activity wey involve using some chemicals and oda explosives elements to break rock.

E dey also involve di breaking of big hard rocks into smaller parts, using materials wey fit explode.

Some of di residents also say di blasting dey affect dia health, as some of dem don get high blood pressure while some don develop ear problem sake of di heavy sound of di blasting.

Odimayo tell BBC News Pidgin say di bomb wey di company dey use to blast and break di rocks dey make di community shake well well and 'e be like earthquake'.

Residents identify di company wey dey blast di rocks as Dortmund and Company.

Di National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA na di agency wey dey monitor activities wey concern environmental issues for Nigeria.

According to di regulations wey dey control di effects of quarrying and blasting operations on di environment and human health from di NESREA, no blasting or quarrying activities suppose dey close to residential areas.

Anoda resident, Olufemi Oluwatuyi wey dey for her 60s tok say di blasting dey affect her grandchildren for house.

She say di sound of di blasting dey give her fear and she even get to carry di grandchildren run comot becos dem no dey used to dat kain sound bifor.

"Dat gbaooh once, my mind dey go. You know dem say make we go out say dem wan blast, I no wear slippers, I carry my grandchildren run."

Nigerian law wey dey guide mining and quarry activities say e dey important say dem measure di impact of any activity wey dey go on wen e concern blasting.

'We get our license'- Dortmund company reply

According to our research, Dortmund and Company Ltd no appear for di website of di Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wey dey chook eye into registration of companies for Nigeria.

Howeva, further search reveal say di company don dey in existence for long years, wit office for Akure, Ondo state capital.

We bin reach out to di company to ask if dia activities dey legal and wetin be dia agreement wit di community.

"We get our license of mine for blasting, we no dey blast witout dia permission."

"No be illegal blasting we dey do, di place na quarry, evritin we do dia dey registered," one Mr Adu Ojo wey be representative of Dortmund and Company Ltd tok.

Howeva, e add say di case don dey for court as govment don chook eye into di activities, say dem 'no get issue wit di community for Imafon as a whole.'

'Govment go begin collate data to regulate mining operations'

For August 2025, di Ondo State govment through di Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Engr. Johnson Jaiyeola Alabi, bin visit Uluyagbo community for Imafon to check di activity of di mining company.

Di State ministry for Energy and Mineral resources say di company bin violate several federal regulations wey guide mining and blasting operations.

E dey concerned say dis blasting site dey located barely 30 metres from the residential houses and e dey dangerous.

Meanwhile, di ministry say state govment go begin collate data to regulate mining operations and protect communities.

Di regulations wey guide mining bin indicate say no quarrying or blasting activities suppose take place within 3 kilometres to residential houses.