TWO weeks after the explosion that rocked Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Saturday March 28, Nigerians are still largely in the dark regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident. During the explosion which birthed series of conspiracy theories, including a possible attack by the terror group, Boko Haram, over 70 residential buildings, schools and churches were reportedly destroyed. The explosion, which occurred less than a kilometre to the Akure Airport in the early hours of the day, cut off the ever-busy Akure /Owo road and left many people injured. The fact that it came on the heels of an explosion in Abule Ado, Lagos, which claimed lives and properties caused considerable consternation.
Giving an update on the incident, the Ondo State governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), indicated that a vehicle moving improvised explosive devices to a nearby state caused the explosion. Following a briefing by the heads of security agencies in the state, the governor explained that the said vehicle was in a convoy heading to a storage facility in a neighbouring state when it broke down along the Akure-Owo road. The explosion, he said, happened in the process of fixing the vehicle. According to him, “security personnel and other individuals transporting the ordinances noticed smoke from the vehicle. After several attempts to extinguish the resulting fire failed, the vehicle and its consignment ignited causing a massive explosion that was felt in Akure and its environs.” The governor said he had directed that the area be cordoned off to allow the explosive ordinance department/bomb squad of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to extricate the vehicle buried underground. Thankfully, no life was lost in the incident.
But a professor of geophysics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Adekunle Adepelumi, would have none of the explanation given by Governor Akeredolu and the police. After leading a research team to the site, the professor declared categorically that the explosion was caused by a meteorite. According to him, “My research group carried out a detailed analysis of the impact site. A circular impact crater with 21m diameter and 7.8m depth was found which suggested natural phenomena. Water was found oozing from the edges of the crater. Preliminary insitu vibration, noise, seismicity, water analysis, radioactivity studies, rock and soil investigation were carried out. Our findings suggest that the impact of the blasting covers 1km radius of the surrounding crater. No evidence of fire burning anything was found within the vicinity…The field evidence points to a conclusion that a meteorite from an asteroid belt from space impacted at an angle of 43 degrees created an ejecta at South-Western part.”
Following the controversy over the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, set up a special investigation team to unravel the causes of the explosion. The team, which is headed by Maikudi Shehu, Commissioner of Police in charge of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, has as members, police officers from the Police Bomb Disposal Squad, a specialised arm of the police that oversees explosives and ordinance operations. A statement by the force spokesman, Frank Mba, said that the police investigation team would work jointly with experts from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA). As it noted, “The NGSA has a state-of-the-art laboratory with the capacity and expertise to carry out a wide range of geo-scientific examinations, including laboratory/forensic examinations, geochemical analysis of rocks, minerals, water, sewage, soil samples and site investigations amongst others.” The IGP expressed the hope that with the involvement of the agency, the quality and integrity of investigations into the explosion would be greatly enhanced.
To say the least, the Akure explosion is unfortunate. Coming amid the lockdown imposed in the state to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, it created panic among residents of Ondo State and beyond. Besides, the differing accounts of the incident led to speculations regarding a cover up. While that may not necessarily have been the case, the government owes Nigerians a definite explanation of the ghastly incident. In this regard, we expect the investigating team set up by the IGP to do a thorough job and come up with recommendations for taming such occurrences in the future.
Even then, the account of the incident given by the police and other security agencies in Ondo State raises the familiar question of laxity in the handling of security and other issues in the country. According to reports, the driver of the truck in which the explosion occurred, one Isiaka Yinusa, lamented that he was unaware of the nature of the materials he was transporting. Yinusa, who had undergone a surgery to remove a shrapnel from his stomach, disclosed that he was driving with a police escort team and a member of staff of the company meant to receive the explosives. This is certainly curious. Is it the practice to transport such sensitive materials in routine vehicles and without informing drivers of the nature of the consignment? Was the vehicle checked for possible mechanical faults before hitting the road?
While Nigerians await answers to these questions and more, it is important to ensure that the victims of the explosion get their deserved compensation. In this regard, it is worthy of note that in response to calls for compensation for the victims of the explosion, the Ondo State governor has indicated that the cost would be borne by the firm that owned the explosives. According to him, “proper valuation of all affected properties must be ascertained before the company will be made to pay to the last penny.”
The ball is in the government’s court: it must give a definitive account of the incident and ensure compensation for the victims. At the same time, it must ensure that disaster management mechanisms are upgraded. Needless to say, the outcome of the ongoing investigation must be made public before too long.
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