A tragic and puzzling incident unfolded on Monday morning in the heart of Ibadan as a man fell from one of the top floors of the iconic Cocoa House building in Dugbe.
The fall, which happened in the early hours, sent shockwaves through the area, leaving commuters and business owners visibly shaken.
Eyewitnesses struggled to make sense of the situation. Bolaji, a phone repair technician near the Post Office adjacent to Cocoa House, said he was frozen with disbelief.
“When the incident happened, I initially thought it was a large bird falling from the sky,” Bolaji recounted. “It was only when the person landed that I realised it was a human being.
“I had my phone with me but I couldn’t even record anything because I was completely shocked. The man first hit a roof beside the security post of the building before landing on the ground. It was a terrifying sight.”
While the identity of the man remains unknown, speculation is already swirling. Some witnesses believe he may have been a worker at the building. Others suspect it could have been a deliberate act, though nothing has been confirmed.
READ ALSO: ‘Pregnant’ woman falls off commercial bus fleeing from LASTMA
Odu’a Investment Company Limited, which manages Cocoa House, confirmed the incident in a statement issued later in the day.
Victor Ayetoro, the firm’s Head of Branding and Communication, said the emergency response team acted swiftly and rushed the victim to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan for urgent medical care.
“The individual involved was swiftly attended to by the emergency response team and taken to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for urgent medical attention,” Ayetoro said.
The company also expressed deep concern over the event and assured the public of its full cooperation with ongoing investigations.
As authorities work to uncover what exactly led to the fall, residents and workers in the Dugbe area remain rattled, hoping for answers soon.