Following Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Ibadan, Oyo State the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has constituted a committee to review the laws guiding the control of explosives in the country.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing State House reporters after the first Federal Cabinet meeting of 2024 presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Badaru said the committee will determine whether the incident is linked to a violation of laws by illegal miners whose activities led to the explosion, stating that the council expressed worries about the incident and the need to avert future occurrences.
“The first question has to do with the Ibadan explosion where the governor said that preliminary investigation suggested that there are some explosives around the area where it happened that are owned by some illegal miners.
He said that federal agents were now on the ground at the scene of the incident to ascertain the cause and ways to prevent future occurrences.
Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has asked residents of the houses within 250 meters of ground zero to move out to government-provided accommodation until the government checks the structural integrity of the buildings in the area.
The governor stated this in a statement on the update of Tuesday’s explosion in Dejo Oyelese Street, Adeyi Avenue, Old Bodija, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, adding that the number of fatalities had increased to three.
“Also, let me use this opportunity to appeal to anyone still staying in any of the houses within 250 meters of ground zero to move out to government-provided accommodation until we check the structural integrity of the buildings in this area.
“At the same time, unscrupulous elements who may want to take advantage of this disaster to carry out any form of looting should be warned. All security agencies have been placed on high alert to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order.
“We will continue to provide regular updates regarding the actions we are taking through the Emergency Operations Centre and our various feedback channels on and off social media.
“The further update we can provide at this time is that we have information regarding the company that was using that residence to store explosives. Rest assured that all that were involved, directly and indirectly, in bringing this tragedy upon us will be brought to book.
“This is a trying time for us all. But it is at such times like this that we draw on our strength and resilience to be our brothers’ keepers and refrain from spreading fake news and disinformation that could potentially cause panic within the populace,” the statement added.
