By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday, called for proper investigations into the multiple explosions at old Bodija area of Ibadan on Tuesday night.
The party in a statement by its state Publicity Secretary, Comrade Wale Sadare, maintained that the proper investigation is to unraveling the cause of the incident and the culprits behind it.
Oyo APC queried Gov Seyi Makinde on the efficacy of his efforts on security “when no intelligence report could be obtained on the activities of some custodians of weapons of mass weapons right behind the Office of the governor until they succeeded in destroying lives and properties of the innocent people”.
The party stressed, “It was an emergency situation and the whole had been thrown into palpable fear since the social media has been littered with rumours and half truths”.
” So, the governor should have admitted that he failed in the area of security because a proactive and efficient security architecture would not give room for such devastating explosions right behind the Governor’s Office”, it said.
Oyo APC added, Who are the illegal miners who live and keep bombs in an high brow area such as Bodija without the knowledge of the powers-that-be?
” The unfortunate incident also exposed the state government as lacking the capacity to offer quick and efficient response to emergency situation because we all saw what happened as only the federal government funded agencies and some private organizations were able to act well to rescue many people who were trapped in the rubbles of collapsed structures”.
It stressed, ” We therefore urge Gov. Makinde prioritize training of officials on emergency and rescue operations, purchase of relevant equipment and fortification of the state Department of Fire Service for obvious reasons”.
“As much as we are saddened by the development, we sympathize with all the victims of the disaster especially those who lost their loved ones and others whose valued properties and vehicles got destroyed”.
APC maintained, ” Lastly, we call on both the federal government and the PDP administration in the state to carry out independent investigations with a view to getting to the bottom of what led to the lethal explosions as well as those responsible for it and also ensure that all culprits are brought to justice.”
