A total of ₦4.5 billion has been authorized by the Oyo State Government to provide financial assistance to the victims and survivors of the January 16, 2024, explosion in Bodija.
The state executive council meeting, which was conducted on Wednesday at the governor’s office, made this decision.
A 10-member committee led by the state deputy governor was established by Makinde on December 24, 2024, to supervise the administration and distribution of relief payments to those who suffered property damage due to the explosion.
The January 16, 2024, explosion at home number 8, Aderinola Street, which was rented by a Malian named Mahmoud Camara, who mined and stored explosives in the property, claimed the lives of at least five persons. The explosion was caused by a water gel-type explosive that was set off by an electric spark.
In addition, 78 people were hurt, 335 people were impacted, 58 homes—including 16 businesses or business owners, churches, mosques, three schools, and the University College Hospital—were damaged.
In his statement on Wednesday, Dotun Oyelade, the Commissioner for Information, said that this is in addition to the more than N200 million the government had spent on lodging, food, medical care, and security costs after the unfortunate event.
In addition, the council accepted the 10-member committee’s recommendation that, in the public interest, the government erect a monument on the site of the revoked land in honor of the tragedy’s victims and revoke the title of two properties off Adeyi Avenue, the site of the explosion.
“Disinformation, half-truths, and mischievous lies being peddled by persons purportedly representing the Residents on the role which the State Government has played in the Bodija explosion saga” were also criticized by the council.
According to the council, the government would not be deterred from taking its time to act in the best interests of its people because such hints are unfair and malicious.
The commissioner stated that several beneficiaries were involved in family conflicts, necessitating the 10-member committee’s meticulous intervention.
The government will also return to the owners of other properties adjoining Ground Zero to rebuild their homes at the advice of government-paid Structural Engineers.
According to the commissioner, the government will, through the Ministry of Justice, ensure effective prosecution of the suspects so far arraigned in Court, while efforts are being intensified to apprehend other suspects linked to the case but at large.
The government’s announcement came hours after the victims released a statement describing as baffling that 11 weeks after the Relief Fund Management and Disbursement Committee submitted its report to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, they still wait for disbursement of the promised funds.
It would be recalled that the governor, represented by his deputy Bayo Lawal, while receiving the report on February 26, promised that the recommendations would be reviewed and implemented without delay.
The victims’ latest plea was contained in a statement titled: “Bodija Community Still in Ashes: A Response to Oyo State Government,” on Wednesday, signed by the President, Bodija Estate Residents’ Association, Muyiwa Bamgbose and Chairman, Dejo Oyelese Vigilante Group, Iyiola Oladokun.
Acknowledging that lives lost cannot be replaced and that government provided temporary accommodation and medical treatment after the incident, the victims urged Governor Seyi Makinde to honour his promise to bring healing and justice to the Bodija explosion victims.
Their statement read, “Today, 473 days later, Bodija remains in ashes. The community continues to mourn, to rebuild, and to plead, largely without governmental empathy or intervention.We again implore His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, to keep his word and take decisive action to bring healing and justice to Bodija. Bodija must not be forgotten. Bodija deserves healing. “This is a community of retired civil servants, senior professionals, and elderly citizens who have dedicated their lives to the development of Nigeria in various departments and institutions. Many now live without homes, their dignity diminished, and have been unfairly portrayed as ungrateful by officials who prioritize infrastructure over people.”
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