In response to the tragic Ibadan explosion incident, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has taken decisive action by establishing an investigative panel to assess potential legal violations in the handling of explosives. This move comes after preliminary reports revealed alarming details surrounding the incident.
Following a meeting chaired by President Tinubu on Wednesday, Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru informed State House Correspondents that the FEC acknowledged the importance of addressing any identified infractions with appropriate sanctions.
According to Badaru, the governor of Oyo State indicated that preliminary investigations hinted at the presence of explosives in the area owned by illegal miners. Another report suggested the possibility of a gas explosion.
The Minister further revealed the dispatch of an investigative team to the tragedy site, stating, “So our team is there trying to find out what is the cause. We have seen that report, but the Council, to be proactive, has already set up a committee to look into how the control of explosives law is broken, if indeed there are explosives around the area where this incident happened.”
He emphasised, “That was why the committee was set up to look at the laws, to see where the chain is broken and to see how it can be fixed; and find out more information if this is happening rampantly around the country.”
Highlighting the strict regulations governing the movement, storage, and ownership of explosives, Badaru assured, “You all know that there’s strict law on the movement, storage, and ownership of explosives, and that is being monitored, and if there’s any breakdown, we will find out and deal with it.”
