Oyo State Government, yesterday, ordered all the 33 local council chairmen in the state, as well as traditional rulers and chiefs, to flush out illegal miners, bandits and land-grabbers in their respective areas.

The directive came following the explosion that rocked Bodija area of Ibadan as a result of storage of explosives by illegal miners in the area.

The state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Olusegun Olayiwola, who spoke with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the council bosses at the Conference Room of the ministry, said that the state government had zero-tolerance for crime and criminality and would stop at nothing to ensure safety of lives and property of the citizens.

He said: “One major point that was extensively discussed today is the issue of security of lives and property in Oyo State. About three weeks ago, there was an explosion at Bodija in Ibadan, which eventually turned out to be as a result of illegal activities of illegal or legal miners that are not supposed to keep such terrible equipment in residential areas.

“Security situation in Oyo State is very fluid, and as a result of this, the chairpersons in the 33 local councils of Oyo state have decided that the three critical areas that the people and government of Oyo state need to look into are in the area illegal mining, land grabbing and banditry.

“As a result of this, we decided at today’s meeting that the illegal miners wherever they may be, the chairmen of various local councils should go after them, hunt and fish them out wherever they are.

“This can easily be done with the collaboration, assistance and support of royal fathers and traditional chiefs all over the councils.

Olayiwola noted that the state government would not fold her arms and watch criminals take over the state.

According to him, the meeting had mandated the council bosses to compulsorily hold a joint security meeting every last Thursday of the month in their respective councils beginning from February 2024.

He said that the outcome of such a meeting must be made available to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters before the end of each month so that the ministry could take the decisions or findings of each of the council to Governor Seyi Makinde.

The commissioner, who spoke on the recent suspension of Onido of Ido, Oba Gbolagade Babalola, by the state government over alleged links with illegal miners, urged royal fathers in the state to expose anyone known to be having ties with illegal miners by informing the relevant authority for prompt action.

In his remarks, the state Chairman of the Associations of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Sikiru Sanda, assured the state government that the council bosses would ensure adequate security surveillance in all the local councils to make the state not only safe for the citizens but also for local and foreign investors.

Also, the Director-General, Solid Minerals Development Agency, Abiodun Oni, urged every citizen of the state to take security issues as their responsibility and not the state government alone while also urging traditional rulers granting letters of consent to miners without consultation with the relevant authorities to desist from the act.