Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has verified that the mining company implicated in the storage of explosive devices, leading to the Ibadan explosion, lists foreign names on its Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) document.
Makinde made this statement while appearing on Channel TV on Wednesday.
The governor also mentioned that the tragic blast’s death toll has climbed to three, with another victim who died in a hospital today.
Recall that on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, an explosion occurred at Dejo Oyelese Street, Bodija area of Ibadan, resulting in now three deaths and numerous injuries.
- “The truth is that we have identified the company involved with the storage of explosive devices in that particular building.
- “We are trying to uncover the identities of the people. We’ve done a few fact-finding on the company involved, and yes, there are indeed some foreign names on the CAC documents of the company involved, but these are still early days.”
Reacting to the question of whether the blast was caused by a terrorist group or banditry, Makinde said that the blast was not caused by any terrorist group or bandits.
- “We have an individual of interest who the security agencies should be inviting for questioning.
- “I repeat my position that anyone who has contributed to putting this tragedy upon us, we will bring them to book.
- “It is not anything that has to do with banditry or insurgency. It is simply illegal miners who decided to store explosives in residential areas,” he added.
What you should know
Earlier on Tuesday, an area in Ibadan, Oyo state, experienced an explosion, leading to fears of a significant number of casualties.
The blast occurred on Tuesday, January 16, at about 7:30 pm and has damaged properties.
Subsequently, Governor Seyi Makinde later confirmed the loss of three lives and reported 77 individuals currently receiving treatment in both public and private hospitals.
In addition, the governor said the 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.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has ordered that a thorough investigation should be carried out to uncover the real reason behind the blast.
