By Ayomide Joseph
In the wake of the recent explosion that rattled parts of Ibadan on Tuesday, Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections, has called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to promptly release a preliminary report on the incident.
The explosion, which occurred on in the Bodija area of the city, has left two dead, 77 injured, according to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
Expressing concerns, Sowore took to his official X account to question the DSS’s silence on the matter, emphasizing their role in approving the use of explosives nationwide.
He insisted that the agency owes the public an explanation and a preliminary report on the incident, giving that it is responsible for approving the use of explosives across the country.
Sowore’s tweet read, “The DSS is saddled with approving the use of explosives around Nigeria. What is their public position on what happened? At least citizens need a preliminary report from the DSS on this matter immediately.”
Sowore also urged Governor Makinde to reveal the identities of the illegal miners responsible for the explosion.
The New Diplomat recalls that Governor Seyi Makinde, in a statement, confirmed that illegal miners were behind the incident, he detailed that explosive devices stored by the illegal miners was responsible for the catastrophic explosion.
Additionally, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that more than 20 houses were affected, attributing the explosion to a suspected Improvised Explosive Device.
Further checks by The New Diplomat revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) screens all End-User Certificate (EUC) applications for explosive procurement and acquisition before approval. This substantiates Sowore’s assertion, raising questions about how the illegal miners were granted licenses to dangerously store explosives.
