The state government of Oyo has confirmed that the death toll resulting from the explosion in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, on Tuesday, January 16, has now reached five.
The explosion, extending across a 14-kilometer radius, caused significant damage to numerous houses.
Governor Seyi Makinde initially reported two deaths on Tuesday, with an additional victim passing away in the hospital on Wednesday.
However, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, Fatai Owoseni, has now disclosed that two more bodies have been recovered in a recent update on Thursday.
“Rescue operation is still ongoing. As of yesterday, we had three casualties but this morning, just about 30 minutes ago, I got information from the security operatives supporting the medical team that two more dead bodies were recovered this morning,” he said.
‘Prosecution’
In the course of the program, the governor’s aide emphasized that the state government is committed to ensuring the thorough prosecution of individuals connected to the tragic incident, whether directly or indirectly involved.
He stated that the government, in partnership with security agencies, is actively collecting comprehensive information to prevent any possibility of culprits escaping justice.
This approach aims to foster public trust in the government and enhance transparency in governance.
Owoseni said: “A lot of conversations have been going on, a lot of interfacing with the people so that they will see transparency in what the government is doing.
“The security agencies, especially the police, the DSS being supported by the Nigerian Army team EOD Unit as well are putting the bits and pieces of information together to ensure that discreet information is done towards prosecution to ensure that whoever, either directly, remotely connected with that incident are brought to justice.”
Foreign Names Indicted
Governor Makinde revealed that the mining company implicated in Tuesday’s explosion in the Bodija area of Oyo State, as per its Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificate, has foreign individuals listed as owners.
He further mentioned that out of the 77 individuals hospitalized, 60 injured victims have been discharged, and the state government successfully retrieved one victim from the explosion site.
“We recovered one individual alive today (Wednesday) under the rubble. 60 of the 77 people hospitalised have been discharged.
“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. We don’t have anything to cover,” the governor said on Politics Today.
Makinde said the state has identified an individual of interest that security agents should be inviting for questioning., adding that the state government has no reason for the cover-up.
‘Illegal Miners’
The governor said preliminary investigations by security agencies revealed that the blast was causedby illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija, adding that the explosion occurred at Adeyi Avenue, Bodija. However, it was heard and felt in many parts of the city.
He said, “Preliminary investigations by the security agencies revealed that illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija had stored explosive devices there which caused the blast. The investigations are ongoing. All those found culpable for this will be brought to book.
“We have already deployed first responders and all relevant agencies within Oyo State to carry out comprehensive search and rescue operations. These operations will continue throughout the night.”