Ibadan Explosion: Presidential Committee To Investigate Breach Of Explosive Control Law

President Bola Tinubu has directed the establishment of a presidential committee to probe potential violations of explosive control laws in the country, prompted by the recent explosions in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

The Tuesday night explosion in the Bodija area resulted in the tragic loss of two lives, injuries to approximately 80 individuals, and extensive damage to numerous buildings, vehicles, and other properties.

Responding to inquiries from State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting overseen by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, disclosed that the council has mandated an immediate investigation to uncover the precise cause of the unfortunate explosion.

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.”