Foreign Illegal Miners At Large As Makinde Intensifies Probe Into Explosion Incident

More details have emerged about the explosion that rocked Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

This came as Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said the firm discovered to have stored the explosives that exploded in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has some foreigners as owners.

According to Makinde, the certificate of the mining company from the Corporate Affairs Commission revealed this.

The Governor, who spoke on a Channels Television programme: “Politics Today,” also revealed that the death toll from the massive explosion that threw Ibadanland into panic mode had risen to three.

He said on the programme on Wednesday that the state has identified an individual of interest who security agents should invite for questioning.

Speaking on the ownership of the company that stored the dynamite, which exploded in Bodija area of Ibadan on Tuesday, Makinde said: “We are trying to uncover the identities of the people.

“We’ve done a few fact-finding on the company involved.

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“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.”

On the number of casualties, Makinde said: “We recovered one individual alive today (Wednesday) under the rubble.

“Sixty of the 77 people hospitalised have been discharged.”

On insinuations that terrorists had infiltrated the state, the governor said: “It is not anything that has to do with banditry and insurgency, but illegal miners that stored explosives in a residential area.”

In that regard, Makinde said he would seek presidential approval for miners to store explosives with the military, adding that he would sign an Executive Order in the coming days to that effect.

(The Eagle Online)

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