Oyo Orders LG Chairmen, Monarchs To Flush Out Illegal Miners

In the aftermath of the explosion that rocked the Bodija area of Ibadan, the Oyo state government has directed Local Government Chairmen and monarchs in the state to flush out illegal miners.

The state government gave traditional rulers, alongside the 33 local government chairmen in the state, an order on Monday to rid their respective council areas of land grabbers, robbers, and illegal miners.

Naija News recalls that on Tuesday, January 16, an explosion occurred on Adeyi Avenue in Old Bodija in Ibadan, injuring 77 people and destroying 55 residences. Five persons died in the explosion.

Later, Seyi Makinde, the state governor, claimed that an alleged illegal miner who kept explosives at home was responsible for the incident.

However, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Olusegun Olayiwola, gave the order to ferret out illegal miners at a closed-door meeting with the heads of the council in the ministry’s conference room in the state capital of Ibadan.

He cautioned that the government has no tolerance for crime or criminality and will go to any length to protect its citizens’ lives and property.

Olayiwola warned that the government would not stand by and watch criminals take over the state, which had been ranked as one of the safest in the country.

He said, “One of the major points that was extensively discussed today (Monday) is the issue of security of lives and property in the state. You will recall that about three weeks ago, there was an explosion at Bodija, Ibadan which eventually turned out to be a result of illegal activities of illegal miners who are not supposed to keep such terrible equipment in the residential areas.

“As a result of this, chairmen and women in the 33 local government areas of the state were invited to the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters today (Monday) and we decided to address the press about the outcome of the meeting.

“The security situation in the state is very fluid, and as a result of this, the chairmen and chairwomen in the local governments have decided that the three critical areas that the people and government of the state need to look into are the areas of illegal mining, land grabbing and banditry.

”We have been coping with the issue of banditry for a while now, but unfortunately, the issue of land grabbing has taken centre stage of the insecurity of lives and property of the citizens of the state. The meeting discussed this extensively today (Monday) and decided that forthwith, the chairmen and chairwomen of the local government are being saddled with the responsibility of taking charge of the security situations of their local governments as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has given them the power to do as the Chief Security Officers of their local governments.

”As a result of this, we decided that the illegal miners, wherever they may be, the chairmen of various local governments should go after them, they should hunt and fish them out wherever they are. This can easily be done with the collaboration, assistance and support of royal fathers and traditional chiefs all over the councils. When they see something, they should say something, to be able to apprehend these people.

”As a matter of urgency, they should hold an emergency meeting with security committees of their various local governments and conclude that the committee will serve as a task force that will embark on the manhunting of illegal miners, land grabbers and bandits.

“The meeting had mandated the council bosses to compulsorily hold a joint security meeting every last Thursday of the month in their respective councils beginning from February 2024.”