By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Special Adviser on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde, CP Fatai Owoseni (rtd) has disclosed that Oyo State Government is to prosecute three persons in connection with the Bodija explosion.
CP Owoseni (rtd) said this on Tuesday, while addressing a press conference at the Governor’s Office shortly after the presentation of the report on Bodija explosion to the Oyo state government.
According to CP Owoseni (rtd), the three persons have been identified in connection with the cause of the unfortunate incident and that the identified persons will face prosecution based on the investigation carried out.
He pointed out that Oyo State Government would bring the perpetrators to book, adding that the government would check on the immigration status of all the people of interest since a majority of them are from Mali.
“We have been able to report that the swiftness with which security was deployed to the epicentre had so far successfully made the state to fully secure the environment”, he said.
The Special Adviser added, ” And with the security that was provided, the state has also been able to prevent untoward happenings, especially opportunistic crimes that hoodlums always take advantage of such situations to carry out”.
“We would recall that an emergency situation centre was put in place by the governor, and was located at the premises of Oyo State Housing Corporation, Ibadan”.
CP Owoseni (rtd) maintained, “The EOC has so far collated information, data of things that happened there and some of the data collated include census of the respective houses and the fatalities that were affected including the extent of losses suffered”.
“As of 6 p.m. on Friday, 3rd of February, which was the 18th day of the incident, a total of 335 affected persons registered at the emergency situation centre including 16 companies or business operators, churches, mosques, three schools and the UCH also approached the centre to report on their losses”.
CP Owoseni (rtd) stated that the street where the explosion happened ” is Aderinola Street and not Dejo Oyelese Street, as earlier widely reported, adding that the epicentre of the tragedy is No. 8A and No. 8B”.
The Special Adviser emphasized that the losses reported also include ” fatality, injuries of various degrees, damages ranging from total collapse and submerging of houses, houses that suffered collateral damage and the ones that suffered minimal damages.”
Speaking further, CP Owoseni (rtd)
stated that the character of the explosive is known as “Water Gel Type Based Explosive” and that the explosion was triggered by an electric spark and that a Closed Circuit Television in one of the affected houses gave footage of how the incident happened.
Also speaking , the Head of the Emergency Operation Centre, Prof. Temitope Alonge, said 80 victims in total were managed across various hospitals following the incident but that only five patients are on admission as of the time of the press conference, and that four of the patients are being treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) and are at various levels of recovery, while one patient is at the Redeemers Hospital being managed for a spinal cord injury.
Stressing that most of the cases at UCH will likely be discharged within the next one week, Prof Alonge said that some of the affected victims that experienced medical disorder such as respiratory illness had been treated, while those with symptoms suggestive of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are being attended to by clinical psychologists from UCH, led by Mrs. Funmi Olowa.
The report, which comprises findings of the Medical, Security and Engineering Teams, was submitted to the governor on Tuesday, at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
