Ibadan blast and quest for justice

 It lately clocked a year since an explosion ripped through the serene Bodija neighbourhood in Ibadan, leaving fatalities and ruination in its trail. January 16th, 2024 was the fateful day when the tranquility of the highbrow area was shattered at dusk by a deafening blast that sent tremors through the ancient city. 

The blast, which was said to have originated from a building located on Aderinola Street, claimed five lives. Nearly 80 others were injured in the incident while scores of houses, vehicles and other items of property were wrecked. Few days after the explosion, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed findings that the blast was caused by explosives stored in a residential apartment by illegal miners. According to eyewitnesses, the casualties were either first responders to a fire outbreak caused by an electrical surge that first hit the building where explosives were stored, or passersby too close to the site.

Ever since the explosion, neighbourhood residents have had their lives dislocated, with most of them yet to regain balance. Many survivors were reported to be grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical challenges that resulted from the blast experience. Many are still displaced, sheltering with friends and relations as their Bodija homes remain in ruins. Hours after the blast, the Oyo government had evacuated affected residents to hotels, but reports cited them saying they were accommodated for just about a month and were kicked out within 30 to 45 days after the incident. The state government also offered assistance by way of building materials like iron rods, roofing sheets and bags of cement to help them rebuild their homes; but the residents reported that the support was grossly inadequate, besides that the materials were for most part unsuitable for use. And so, the residents association opted to sell off the materials and share the proceeds, which were at best token, among estate members concerned.

The biggest issue for the survivors, however,  has been the clamour for justice. Many of them voiced frustration over the delay in holding to account those responsible for storing the explosives that caused the blast, and they demanded transparency in the prosecution of persons that the Oyo government said were arrested in connection with the incident. “Nobody has been prosecuted or jailed for this dastardly act,” an elderly resident was reported lamenting as she recommended that the assets of the suspects be confiscated and used to compensate victims of the blast. Another resident decried the paucity of information about the arrest and trial of those complicit in the incident. “The tenant who rented the place is at large for all we know. God will have to help us in this community and country,” he said

The neighbourhood residents on the platform of Bodija Estate Residents Association (BERA) held a memorial service penultimate Thursday in honour of fatalities of the blast, and to mark one year since the incident occurred. At the event, they restated demands on the Oyo government to bring those responsible for the explosion to justice. BERA president, Muyiwa Bamgbose, said the residents wanted those who caused the problem to be prosecuted and there should be transparency and accountability, just so the people could have closure. “They will have the assurance that those who caused the problem have been punished and there would likely be people who will not do that kind of thing again,” he stated. Recounting the ordeal of residents, the estate chief noted that some of them still had nowhere to stay, while others have been staying with relations. “Some still look at where their houses used to be in hopelessness. We hope the support that the government is sending would be expedited, so that hope that is delayed will not make the heart grow sick,” he added.

Governor Makinde had last December inaugurated a 10-member panel headed by Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal to oversee disbursement of relief funds to the blast victims. He made clear though that his government would only provide support, and not compensate those who lost property in the blast. Speaking in a media chat, the governor said suspects arrested in connection with the explosion were already being prosecuted. “The law is taking its course as people have been charged to court and are being prosecuted. Regarding those who lost properties, they will be supported by the government,” he said inter alia.

“The challenge that victims of the Ibadan explosion and other people have is the official secrecy about the prosecution of persons arrested”

On the occasion of one-year anniversary of the blast, Makinde restated that some  persons were already being called to account. Writing in a personal newsletter amid complaints by the victims, he said: “While properties can be restored, the lives lost are gone forever in the needless tragedy. May their souls rest in peace, and may God continue to comfort those they left behind.” The governor further explained: “As I stated during my media chat last month, those directly involved in the storage of explosives in that residential area have been arrested, and the case is being prosecuted at the Federal High Court, Ibadan. They are being tried for offences under the Terrorism Prohibition and Prevention Act 2022. We know that nothing can bring back those we lost, but we will build a memorial at the site later this year.”

Pertaining to government’s plan to succour the residents, he made known that the panel raised on disbursement of financial support had submitted its report and  disbursements would be effected shortly. “We have also started rehabilitating the roads in the area as part of our efforts to fix some of the damage done. We will continue to invest in the security of lives and properties of our people to ensure that preventable disasters like this do not repeat themselves,” he said, adding: “But we all need to work together to support the security agencies. So, if you see something, please say something so the relevant authorities can do something.”

The challenge that victims of the Ibadan explosion and other people have is the official secrecy about the prosecution of persons arrested in connection with the incident. The Oyo government has till date withheld the identity of the suspects, and their prosecution is being conducted away from public glare – most notably the attention of the blast victims. Stated bluntly, it is an unsubstantiated rumour that people are being called to account as far as many people see.

At the memorial service, Oyo government representative and a senior executive assistant to the governor, Idowu Ogedengbe, dismissed suspicions of a cover-up and stressed that prosecution of suspects had commenced. “His Excellency is not shielding anyone. Some were suggesting that there is a government cover-up, but there isn’t any cover-up. He (Makinde) will not spare any offender,” he said. Asked by a reporter why the prosecution is being guarded and why the faces of the suspects were not made public, the official responded: “You don’t come out to speak when the whole exercise is ongoing. I am sure at the right time… Our governor, as I said, is not going to shield anyone if they have been found culpable.”

Justice, the last time I checked, is best served through transparency. A sense of justice typically involves the aggrieved being fully carried along in efforts to make suspected persons account for the harm that was perpetuated. That is not being done obviously in the matter of the Bodija blast, and victims doubt that anyone is really being made to answer for the grievous harm they suffered. Just think of it: people were sitting in their homes, possibly retiring from a long day, when the blast happened out of the blues and ripped up their lives. The five fatalities of the blast were relations of some survivors, who must learn to cope with the bereavement.

True, the lesson also is that there is need for community vigilance, so to raise an alarm whenever untoward activities are noticed in one’s neighbourhood. But lack of vigilance in Bodija did not justify persons storing dynamites next door to people’s homes; neither did it justify the failure of security intelligence that could have intercepted the track of the explosives from source to storage. The least that the victims deserve now is being afforded a sense of justice through transparent prosecution of arrested suspects. That isn’t too much to ask of the Oyo government.