Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has explained the delay in extraditing the three Malians indicted in the explosion that occured at Aderinola Street, off Adeyi Avenue, Bodija, Ibadan, last January.
He attributed the delay to diplomatic issues caused by the breaking away of Mali from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).
Governor Makinde made the disclosure in a post, today, on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, @seyiamakinde.
Recalled that there was an explosion from stockpiled explosives on 16 January at Aderinola Street which led to the death of some people and destruction of several houses and other valuables.
Governor Makinde then disclosed that preliminary investigation revealed that some identified illegal miners were the owners of the explosives and occupants of the Ground Zero building where the explosion occured.
Governor Makinde, while speaking on an illegal factory involved in mining operation shut down by his administration, seized the opportunity to give an update on the Bodija explosion.
He said the closure of the illegal factory being operated by a Chinese firm and arrest of four of its workers was to prevent of the Bodija incident.
“Let me take this opportunity to report that we are still trying to extradite the Malians indicted in the Bodija Incident who are on the run.
“We are having difficulties because Mali pulled out of ECOWAS. We will continue to deploy diplomatic means to ensure they are brought to book,” Makinde stated in the post.
The governor further spoke on the illegal factory involved in illegal mining at Idi Ayunre in Oluyole Local Goverment Area, Ibadan.
He said he paid an impromptu visit, today, to the factory following a tip off on the illegal mining activities going on there.
“In our efforts to prevent a recurrence of the Bodija Incident, we were at Idi Ayunre, following a tip off about a facility which was being used to process illegally mined minerals.
“I can report that those involved have been arrested and are in custody and we are working to prosecute them.
“Our government has also taken over the facility pending the investigations and prosecution.
“We were able to apprehend the culprits because the government and citizens worked together in a timely manner to bust their operations.
“Please continue to support our efforts to rid our state of illegal activities. If you see something, say something and the authorities will do something,” Makinde added in the post.
He further stated that “615 is the toll-free number to call when you notice any security breaches.”
