Mr Fatai Owoseni, a retired police commissioner, is Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State….CONTINUE READING ....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In this interview first aired on Arise News, Fatai speaks on Tuesday’s dusk explosion in Ibadan which claimed at least five lives, injured 77 and wrecked several houses across the state capital including those belonging to the government.

The explosion, which happened in the Bodija area of Ibadan and triggered by explosives said to have been stored in a private residence by suspected illegal miners believed to be Malians, was heard in many parts of the metropolis. Only last Friday, the management of a hotel near the explosive site claimed a top staff member died of shock from the blast. Owoseni speaks on the tragic incident. Excerpts:

How did people stockpile explosives in residential areas and security agencies in the state were not in the know? Are there not supposed to be regulations on explosives and storage? How did they do it and security agencies did not know? And have you identified the landlord of the affected house? Also, we understand that some of the neighbours knew what the building was being used for.

What is the government doing to ensure that people don’t harbour explosives in residential areas?

First, things that have to do with mining are on the Exclusive List and, of course, in this country, that’s part of the reasons people are calling for restructuring. You must give states some obligations to monitor these things, but when you intervene, they tell you “we got our licence.

I can tell you that for the past two years, His Excellency, Governor Makinde has been engaging the Federal Government with regards to mining. The illegal mining business in Ibadan, around Ojoo, is populated by foreigners and, when you go there to do any operation, either as the police or other state apparatus, they will show you the approval which they have gotten from the Federal Government.

I want to think that it is the kind of engagement that Governor Makinde had with the Federal Government that made them to divest power to say that international mining markets will be created in four locations across the country, and because of the push, they gave Ibadan one of the international markets. With regards to how these things happen and people don’t know, some people have even said “we reported before”.

How does government ensure that this kind of disaster does not happen again?

Like, I mentioned earlier, government won’t know if people don’t give information. People are saying that they reported this before.

Why is it that it is now that that information is coming out? Secondly, if such a thing has been reported, it cannot just be wished away, they have very strong landlords/residents association at Bodija where this incident occurred.

All these people that are talking, did they even bring this to the notice of the association? Like I said, when you have such people living in such area (landlords/residents), you can’t take them for granted and whoever has reported it must have brought it to the attention of the association.

The landlords/residents association also has a collective obligation to get any criminally minded person to understand that what he or she is doing is dangerous.