By Adeyinka Adeniran
Oyo State government has given a 72hours ultimatum to individuals and or cooperate organisations that are in possession of harmful or dangerous substances or face the wrath of the law.
The government also said anyone with any harmful substances in the state, even if he has license to hold it, either from the Office of the National Security Adviser, from the Ministry of Mines or from anywhere, have a duty to notify the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security so that the government is sure such storage is not endangering the lives of other people around.
The dangerous substances according to the government includes harmful items that can qualify as weapon of mass destructions.
Failure to do so will amount to disobedience and outright negligence of the government directive which attracts same sanction as criminal offences as provided for in the criminal laws of the state.
Further sanctions for defaulters will also be determined by the gravity or extent of damage caused by the negligence.
The government said the call is imperative in view of the recent explosion that rocked Bodija area of the capital city which was caused by the illegal storage of illegal miners operating in the state.
The directive and sanctions forms part of the provisions of the newly sign Executive Order 001, 2024 signed into law by Govenror Seyi Makinde on Thursday.
In a brief remarks shortly before the signing of the Order, the Governor said the move became imperative in the light of the unfortunate incident at Bodija where explosives were stored in a residential area.
He said with the new law, such an incident will never reoccur in the state.
But, giving a detail of the provision during a visit to the epicentre of the incident, the State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General, Abiodun Aikomo said the new law is not just about storage of explosives but many other harmful substances that can qualify as weapon of mass destructions.
He said even strong gas in a way that is irresponsible, that can trigger explosion, it becomes harmful and it will have the same dangerous consequences that is negative to human existence.
Aikomo said “The governor signed an Executive Order to deal with storage and handling of harmful substances. We are not talking about explosives here because explosives are on the exclusive list. But there are so many other harmful substances that can qualify as weapon of mass destructions.
“If you store gas for example in a way that is irresponsible, that it can trigger explosion, it becomes harmful and it will have the same dangerous consequences that is negative to human existence.
“What this order has done is to say, the government, not being super human cannot know what people have stored in their respective homes, to say anybody, any company or individual that is in possession of harmful substances stored in residential houses should notify the state government of the possession of such substances and this obligation takes effect immediately.
“So, they are required to report within the next 72hours to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security. So, the SA will now organise for evacuation in a safe and decent manner, working with other law enforcement agencies.
“And going forward, anyone who has harmful substances in Oyo state, it doesnt matter even if you have license to hold it, you may have been licensed from the Office of the National Security Adviser, from the Ministry of Mines or from anywhere, you have a duty to notify the SA to the Governor, so that we are sure you are not endangering the lives of other people around you and this will be on until such a time when the Governor revokes the Executive Order.”
He said further “Now, because laws by their nature are commands, they are to be obeyed, if the governor issues an Executive Order and people can decide or choose either to obey or not, then it is not worth the signing.
“So, anybody who refuses to comply or obey would have violated the criminal laws of Oyo state and the Criminal laws of Oyo State has criminalised negligence handling of harmful substances of explosives.
“If it occasions death, it is punishable by death because it is murder. So, it depends on the degree of consequences that follows. We have tied this Executive Order to the Criminal Laws of Oyo State and Under Chapter 38, there are different categories of offences which may be implicated by negligent handling of dangerous substances.”
