He Oyo State Government has identified the company that stored the explosives, which caused the explosion on Tuesday night at Dejo Oyelese Street, Adeyi Avenue, Old Bodija, Ibadan.
Addressing newsmen at the meeting room of the Governor’s Office Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, on Wednesday, Governor Seyi Makinde vowed to bring the culprits to justice.
“Those who caused this tragedy in Oyo State will be brought to justice,” he said.
Makinde called for calm and assured that the state government has been aware of the situation and will spare no effort in the search and rescue of the victims in the rubble of the incident, as well as the welfare of the victims and the security of their properties.
He argued that it was a difficult time for the State and that its people should take advantage of its strength and resistance and be their brother’s guardian.
A statement by the Special Adviser (Media) to the State Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, quoted Makinde as saying that as part of the government’s measures to address the situation, it had set up an Emergency Operations Center to oversee the search and rescue. rescue.
He promised that search and rescue efforts will continue until all lives in the vicinity of the explosion are accounted for, adding that the government has also made provisions with hotels to accommodate the victims and those living near the site of the incident once that can be identified.
The governor revealed that President Bola Tinubu had spoken to him to express his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the incident and promised him the support of the Federal Government.
He expressed gratitude to the President for also deploying the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which he noted was on the ground at the site of the explosion.
The governor said that so far there are three deaths from the incident and that the number of injured is around 77.
He warned residents to be careful about the spread of false figures and misinformation about deaths and the number of victims.
Before the press conference, the governor visited some victims of the incidents in different hotels around Bodija, Idi Ape and Ikolaba, where the state government is providing them accommodation and food.
“Since yesterday, our security agencies, first responders, emergency services and all other relevant agencies have been working diligently while carrying out search and rescue operations.
“This morning, another person was recovered from the rubble. “I want to assure you that the search and rescue operation will continue until all lives in the vicinity of the explosion are accounted for,” the governor said.
Makinde said the state government was aware that apart from the immediate perimeter of the incident, people up to 25 kilometers away could have been physically or psychologically affected.
As such, he said the government created the Emergency Operations Centre, headed by Temitope Alonge, to coordinate all search and rescue efforts.
“I would like to appeal to our people to remain calm as we do everything possible to provide help to all those affected. Some numbers have been provided to contact the Emergency Operations Center.
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“I know that 615 is operational but there are additional ones: 07049948057 and 08147672009. If you have any information about anyone who may still be trapped within that perimeter, please call those numbers and we will respond,” he added.
The governor appealed to those staying in any of the houses within a 250 meter radius of ground zero to move to government-provided accommodation until structural integrity tests are carried out on the buildings.
Makinde also warned people who might be planning to take advantage of the incident to commit crimes, saying security agents would deal with them decisively.
He promised that the state would continue to provide regular updates on the actions it is taking through the EMO and its various secondary channels on and off social media.
Addressing newsmen, the Chief of Emergency Operations, Alonge, said an emergency response to the incident was to create a team of about 40 doctors, 40 nurses and 25 medical students at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
He added that the victims who were injured were receiving medical attention at private and government hospitals and most of them were in stable condition.
“In addition to doctors and nurses, we have added physiotherapists and clinical psychologists to our team, who were on the ground yesterday to assess the psychological state of the survivors of this unfortunate incident,” said Mr Alonge.