Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has received the official report of the January 16, 2024, Bodija, Ibadan explosion.
The report comprising findings from the medical, security and engineering teams was presented by the Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, CP Fatai Owoseni (rtd.) who presented the security report; the Incident Manager, Prof. Temitope Alonge who presented the medical report and the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Structural Engineers, Engr Mbim Okutinyang, who presented the engineering report.
After presenting the reports to the governor during a brief ceremony held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, the governor went into a closed-door session with the heads of the three teams who presented the reports.
Addressing a press conference at the briefing room of the Governor’s Office shortly after the presentation of the report, CP Fatai Owoseni, disclosed that three persons of interest have been identified in connection with the cause of the unfortunate incident. He noted that the identified persons will face prosecution based on the investigation carried out.
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Owoseni clarified that the street where the incident happened is Aderinola Street and not Dejo Oyelese Street, as widely reported, and the epicentre of the tragedy is Nos. 8A and 8B.
He revealed that the character of the explosive is known as “Water Gel Type Based Explosive” and the explosion was triggered by an electric spark. He explained that a closed-circuit television in one of the affected houses gave footage of how the incident happened.
Owoseni assured that the state government would bring the perpetrators to book, noting that the government would check on the immigration status of all the people of interest since a majority of them are from Mali.
He said: “We have been able to report that the swiftness with which security was deployed to the epicentre had so far successfully made the state to fully secure the environment. And with the security that was provided, the state has also been able to prevent untoward happenings, especially opportunistic crimes that hoodlums always take advantage of in such situations.
“An Emergency Operation Center (EOC) was put in place by the governor and was located at the premises of Oyo State Housing Corporation, Ibadan. The EOC has so far collated information, data of things that happened there, which include census of the respective houses and the fatalities that were recorded and the extent of losses suffered,” Owoseni reported.
He said as of 6 pm on Friday, 3rd February, the 18th day of the incident, a total of 335 affected persons, including 16 companies/business operators, churches, mosques, three schools and the University College Hospital (UCH), registered at the EOC to report on their losses, such as fatality, injuries of various degrees, damages ranging from total collapse and submerging of houses, and houses that suffered collateral and minimal damages.
Executive order
Owoseni also addressed the Executive Order signed by the governor on the safe handling and storage of harmful substances in the state. He noted that residents should interface and share useful information with his office through No 2, Oba Akenzua Crescent, Onireke, Ibadan, or through an email address, declarenow@oyostate.gov.ng.
He noted that the Executive Order, which defines what harmful particles or substances are, has placed obligations on people who deal with explosives or do businesses where they use explosives, saying the first phase of the Executive Order, in which anyone in possession of explosives or harmful substances is to declare such within 72 hours, has passed.
“I can tell you that, as of the time the 72 hours lapsed, no one came forward. And the second phase is where we are now, which states that anyone that comes in possession of harmful substances should declare to the office of the Special Adviser of Security to the governor within 24hrs,” Owoseni added.
On his part, the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Structural Engineers, Mbim Okutinyang, who is also the lead coordinator of the team that carried out the structural integrity test on the affected houses, said his team covered 282 houses and only four of the houses would have to be demolished due to the degree of the damage, noting that the seismic report was still being awaited.
Also contributing, the Incident Manager and Head of the Emergency Operation Centre, Prof. Temitope Alonge, revealed that a total of 80 victims were managed across various hospitals following the incident, but only five patients were on admission as of the time of the press conference.
He explained that four of the patients are being treated at the UCH and are at various levels of recovery, while one patient is at the Redeemers Hospital being managed for a spinal cord injury. He said that most of the cases at UCH will likely be discharged within the next week.
Alonge stated that some of the affected victims that experienced medical disorders such as respiratory illness have been treated, while those with symptoms suggestive of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are being attended to by clinical psychologists from UCH, led by Mrs Funmi Olowa.
The Incident Manager also said the site of the incident has been cleared in terms of radioactivity, as the EOC invited the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA) to conduct another screening on Sunday, 4th February, saying, “The good news is that there were no radiations outside of normal.”
Emmanuel Ukoh
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