The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has ordered a rigorous investigation into the explosion that shook Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday.
The directive to Investigate the explosion was issued during the Federal Executive Council’s initial meeting of the year 2024, presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
Minister of Defence Muhammad Badaru, in a post-meeting briefing with State House correspondents, announced that the FEC also formed a committee to investigate matters related to environmental degradation and deforestation.
The Minister pointed out the substantial challenge posed by illegal mining in Nigeria, underscoring the committee’s task to devise a roadmap for addressing this menace.
Recall, that the governor of Oyo State has blamed illegal miners for the recent blast in Ibadan on Tuesday, 16 January 2024, which claimed two lives and left about 80 persons injured.
Responding to the unfortunate event, the Baduru noted that the committee will constitute service chiefs, the minister of defence as well as other stakeholders.
Backstory
- Earlier on Tuesday, an area in Ibadan, Oyo state, experienced an explosion, leading to fears of many casualties.
- The blast occurred on Tuesday, January 16, at about 7:30 pm and damaged properties.
- Subsequently, Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed the loss of two lives and reported 77 individuals currently receiving treatment in both public and private hospitals.
- In addition, the governor said preliminary investigation revealed that the blast was caused by the activities of illegal miners in the city of Ibadan, although he did not name any culprit involved in the activity.