Miners Association Calls for Justice in Wake of Ibadan Explosion

*Death toll rises to five, two more bodies recovered

*Senators commiserate with Oyo govt, residents, say incident devastating 

Sunday Aborisade, Folalumi Alaran in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called for justice following the “devastating explosion” that rocked Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday, leaving five people dead and more than 70 injured.

Casualties in the deadly explosion, which occurred at Dejo Oyelese Street, Adeyi Avenue, Old Bodija, rose to five yesterday, from the initial three, as two more bodies were recovered from the debris.

Some senators, including Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa; Chairman, Committee on Privatisation, Senator Orji Kalu; and his counterpart from Abia Central Senatorial District, Senator Austin Akobundu, commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State, yesterday, over the Tuesday explosion in Ibadan.

National President of MAN, Dele Ayanleke, in a statement, said, “We pledge our support to all initiatives aimed at unravelling the perpetrators of this crime, with the view to bringing them to book in order to serve as deterrent to other criminal elements or who paint operators in the solid minerals sector in bad light.
“While we pray for the repose of the souls of the departed in eternal bliss, it is also our prayers that God will uphold their dependents, heal the injured, and restore all material losses.”

The statement added, “Miners Association of Nigeria, hereby, expresses our deep appreciation to His Excellency, Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, for his prompt response to this emergency by facilitating immediate succour to the victims.

“By this publication, we further affirm our commitments to the continued collaboration with all tiers of government, their agencies and all stakeholders to end all forms of illegality in the solid minerals value-chain, in order to bequeath to the present and future generations of our nation, a sector that can provide the much-desired pivot for the diversification and broadening of our national economy.

“We also call on all our members, across our various chapters, to be wary of those they partner with.”
Head of Emergency Operations Centre for the evacuation and rescue of victims in the blast, Professor Temitope Alonge, who disclosed the new casualties, maintained that his team would continue its search for survivors until all victims were accounted for.

Alonge told journalists at the scene of the incident, “The storm is yet to settle, but it’s time to pick up what is left of the disaster site of Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Bodija in the ancient city of Ibadan, which has left five victims dead and about 77 sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
“Earth moving equipment had been deployed to the scene to clear the debris and, perhaps, rescue more victims. The operations emergency team are also on ground to ensure the smooth flow of evacuation.
“Residents, who are fortunate to pick what is left of their property, have headed for safer locations, as the state government had ordered an evacuation due to safety concerns.”

Meanwhile, the senators described the incident as sad and devastating.
Musa underscored the need for security agencies to invest heavily in intelligence gathering, noting that the incident could have been avoided if residents had offered useful information to the security agencies beforehand.
He said it was high time government at the national and sub-national levels came up with legislation that would impose heavier sanctions against possession of explosives and illegal mining.

Musa stated, “This is one incident too many. The government at all levels, security agencies, and the people have roles to play to avert future occurrence. We need to be proactive in dealing with the situation.

“The people should be more vigilant and show keen interest in whatever that is going on around them, while security agencies should encourage residents to speak up whenever they discover strange movements within their communities.

“Government should also come up with legislation that would discourage anyone from either possessing explosives or even engaging in illegal mining.”
Kalu, in a statement in Abuja, expressed sadness over the painful incident, which was attributed to the activities of illegal miners, and urged the government to commence a full scale investigation into the development in a bid to forestall future occurrence.
He stated, “It is depressing, considering the lives that were lost and injured victims. Government must bring to book the perpetrators of the ugly incident in order to prevent future occurrence.”
Akobundu said he was shocked by the news of the blast and said such tragic incident was shattering, especially at this critical time, when families were struggling to survive the harsh economic situation in the country.