Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Afenifere, the pan Yoruba socio-cultural organization, has called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Ondo State Government to investigate today’s explosion in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The publicity secretary of the group, Mr Yinka Odumakin, made the demand in a statement issued hours after the blast that cratered the affected site, causing several injuries and destroying surrounding buildings and structures.
Preliminary police investigation indicates the blast was as a result of the explosion of a consignment of dynamite being transported to a quarry in Edo State by a heavy-duty vehicle which broke down in Akure en route to its destination.
Related: Tension in Ondo as 20 injured, property destroyed in explosion
The Afenifere statement reads:
“Afenifere expresses our heartfelt sympathy with the government and people of Ondo State over the explosion that occurred on Akure-Owo road.
“All accounts so far indicate that the explosion occurred from a possible fire incident from a vehicle that was carrying explosives through the state.
“Though the identities of the movers have not yet been known, the police have claimed they were escorting the ordinances when they noticed some challenge.
“While we have nothing to contradict the stated accounts yet, we demand an inquiry into this disaster in accordance with Ordinance and Firearm Acts to be able to determine the type of ordinances that exploded.
“The inquiry should be able to ascertain the identities of those transporting the ordinances, the origin of the ordinances, who assigned the escorting policemen and under what circumstance, where was the destination of the improvised explosive devices.
“While we wait for answers, we must express our displeasure with the rate of explosions in Yoruba land in recent time.
“First was the blast in Ekiti State in early February with investigation blaming it on “human error.”
“This was followed by the massive explosion in Abule Ado in Lagos which was attributed to some spurious pipeline explosion which we rejected because the long-range impacts of that explosion could not have come from pipeline explosion.
“Till date, we don’t know the owners of the articulated vehicles found at the scene of the Lagos explosion while the number of casualties and level of suggested damage done to Catholic-owned Bethlehem School suggested deliberate targeting.
“While we wait to know the level of casualty in the latest incident in Ondo State, we appeal to our people to be very careful in these perilous times.”