A former member of Oyo State House of Assembly, Barrister Muideen Olalekan Olagunju, has warned that there is a possibility that people working for illegal miners in Ibadan have explosives in their rented apartments.
Olagunju spoke in a statement made available to Arogidigba Global Journal on Thursday.
Arogidigba Global Journal recalls that explosive devices exploded in a residential building at Dejo Oyelese Close, Bodija Housing Estate, Ibadan, on Tuesday.
No fewer than two people lost their lives as a result of the incident while several others were injured.
Property worth millions of naira were also destroyed while hundreds of people were displaced as a result of the incident.
Olagunju, in a statement titled, ‘More on Ibadan explosion’, revealed that Sawane Youssouf, a Malian who was occupying the building where the incident occurred, is the leader of the illegal miners in the state.
He revealed that Youssouf and three others including a Nigerian registered a company called SDYB International Company Limited with registration certificate 511184, in 2004, so as to engage in mining activities in the state.
He added that Youssouf, Darame Ibrahima, Yattara Ibrahim and Bakare Hakeem Oladimeji are the directors in the company involved in illegal mining activities especially in Iwere- Ile in Iwajowa Local Government Area in Oke Ogun geo-political zone of the state.
The former lawmaker noted that Youssouf has many people working for him in the Bodija area of Ibadan.
According to him, each of the boys working with Youssouf might have explosives in their various rented apartments.
He advised that government must immediately determine the locations of those working for Youssouf and take proper charge of explosives in their possession.
Olagunju said, “I can authoritatively inform that the explosion in Ibadan is the handiwork of a Malian immigrant engaged in mining operations in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.
“His name is Sawane Youssouf. He has been stockpiling explosives in a house (unknown if he owns it or if he rented it) for years. These explosives he stored for the purpose of his extensive mining business.
“How he was able to do that in a residential estate with few eyebrows raised is a failure of intelligence at both government and community levels.
“To think the location is just a stone throw from the Government Secretariat is damning. His own negligent stupidity as well as government taciturn approach to security of lives and properties have caused unnecessary deaths, injuries and property damage.
“I searched the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission to find that Sawane Youssouf incorporated a company on May 17, 2004 called SDYB International Company Nigeria Limited with RC 511184. This is the list of directors: (1) Sawane Youssouf, (2) Darame Ibrahima, (3) Yattara Ibrahim (4). Bakare Hakeem Oladimeji. By their names, three of the four directors hail from Mali.
“People I talked to revealed that Sawane has a lot of Malian boys working under him in the Bodija area.
“It is reported each one of them might have explosives in the various rented accommodation they stay in. Government must immediately determine where his boys live and take proper charge of explosives in their possession.
“I have credible information also that Sawane used police, DSS and other security operatives to move his explosives and other logistics. It shows complicity. It is unclear Sawane was in the house when the explosion occurred. If he was, I doubt he would survive the magnitude of the blast. Everything within 100 metres radius of the blast site is flattened.”
