Ibadan blast: Presidential committee to investigate breach of explosive control law

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the setting up of a presidential committee to investigate the possible breach of explosive control laws in the country following the recent explosions that rocked Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

An explosion that rocked the Bodija area of Ibadan on Tuesday night killed two persons and wounded about 80 others. It also destroyed several buildings, vehicles, and other properties.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents on the explosion after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, said the council has ordered an immediate investigation to unravel the immediate course of the unfortunate incident.

According to Badaru: “The first question has to do with the Ibadan explosion, where the governor said a preliminary investigation suggests that there are some explosives around the area where it happened that are owned by illegal miners.

“Well, we have also seen another report suggesting a gas explosion. Our team is there, trying to find out the cause. The council has already set up a committee to look into how the control of explosive law is broken if, indeed, there are explosives around the area where this incident happened.

“That was why the committee was set to look at the laws, to see where the chain is broken, to see how it can be fixed, and to further [see] if this is happening rampantly around the country.”

Badaru added: “You all know that there’s a strict law on the movement, storage, and ownership of explosives, and that is being monitored. If there’s any breakdown, we will find out and deal with it.”