The Oyo State Government has issued a directive to all 33 local government chairmen, traditional rulers, and chiefs in the state to eradicate illegal mining activities, banditry, and land grabbing within their respective council areas. The move comes in the wake of an explosion on Adeyi Avenue at Old Bodija in Ibadan that occurred on January 16, resulting in five fatalities, 77 injuries, and damage to 55 houses. Governor Seyi Makinde attributed the incident to an alleged illegal miner storing explosives at home.
The order was delivered by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Olusegun Olayiwola, after a closed-door meeting with the council leaders in Ibadan. Olayiwola emphasized the government’s zero tolerance for crime and criminality, underscoring its commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property in the state.
The commissioner asserted that the government would not stand idly by as criminals sought to take control of the state, previously considered one of the safest in the country. The three critical areas addressed in the meeting were identified as illegal mining, land grabbing, and banditry.
Local government chairmen were tasked with taking charge of the security situations in their jurisdictions, acting as the Chief Security Officers as granted by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They were instructed to collaborate with royal fathers and traditional chiefs to hunt down and expose illegal miners. An emergency meeting with security committees in each local government was mandated to form a task force focused on tracking down illegal miners, land grabbers, and bandits.
Furthermore, the council leaders were directed to hold joint security meetings every last Thursday of the month starting from February 2024. The outcomes of these meetings are to be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters for review and presentation to Governor Seyi Makinde.
The commissioner, referencing the recent suspension of the Onido of Ido, Oba Gbolagade Babalola, over alleged connections with illegal miners, urged royal fathers to expose individuals associated with illegal mining. The Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in the state, Sikiru Sanda, assured the government of thorough security surveillance in all local governments to maintain safety for citizens and attract local and foreign investors. The Director-General of the Solid Minerals Development Agency, Abiodun Oni, urged citizens to consider security issues as a collective responsibility rather than solely relying on the government.
