INVESTIGATION: Inside illegal operations of mining firm responsible for Ibadan fatal explosion

BY FOLASHADE OGUNRINDE

Amidst the mineral riches of Oyo state lies a shadowy truth: illegal mining thrives. In the heart of Olode Village, located in the capital Ibadan, where clandestine extraction persists, caution is currency, and outsiders are treated with suspicion. But their wariness is not only to keep the environmentally damaging illegal mining hidden; they are also trying to conceal an even worse dangerous reality – illicit use of explosives.

Without authorisation, miners are storing and trading explosives used for blasting in the extractive industry. PREMIUM TIMES investigation finds a pattern of violations that underscores how compromised law enforcement and regulatory failure can produce a fatal cocktail of the sort that rocked Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria, this year.

On the evening of January 16, an explosion rocked Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. According to the state government, five lives and properties worth billions of naira were lost to the explosion linked to the activities of “illegal miners” who stored “Water Gel Type Based Explosive” in a duplex on 8b, Reverend Aderinola close, Old Bodija, Ibadan.

Four months after the explosion, the government has yet to fully explain what happened, and there are still questions about the identities of the said illegal miners and how they were able to circumvent the law enforcement and regulatory processes that should have detected and prevented their violation.

A months-long investigation by PREMIUM TIMES revealed how Meduret Resources Nigeria Limited illegally stored explosives in the property at Bodija, a dense residential and business district, and used the same property as the base for trading in the dangerous materials. Government and industry sources say others are involved in the criminal act.

Although Meduret has nine valid small scale mining leases (SSML) to mine Gold and tourmaline in Iwajowa LGA of Oyo state until 2028, the company neither applied for nor received a permit to buy explosives, the mines inspectorate department told PREMIUM TIMES in a freedom of information reply.

The use and purchase of explosives without a permit is a breach of the Explosives Act of 1964 and the Terrorism, Prohibition, and Prevention Act of 2022.

Widely circulated pictures and videos of the incident scene and environs showed an incredible spectacle of destruction.

A miner from Mali, Camara Mamadou, was the occupant of the house where explosives were stored, according to findings from interviews with the property manager, neighbours and mining colleagues.

“Camara is the one occupying 8b (unit of the twin duplex) with one other person, and then there is a lady in the boys’ quarters,” the property manager told PREMIUM TIMES.

Further investigation involving CAC searches showed Mamadou is also a Meduret director.

With the help of his wife, Ramatu, and other associates, Mamadou illegally purchased, transported, and stored explosives in his home, neighbours and government sources familiar with the Ibadan explosion investigation said. Although Mamadou left for his hometown in Mali about two years ago to treat his kidney disease, his black market business, where he sold explosives to end users, ran smoothly. Thanks to his wife, who is now on trial.

In its freedom of information reply, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development stated that there are only 11 companies licensed to import and sell explosives in Nigeria. They are: Solar Nigachem Limited, intrachem Limited, Dynatrac Nigeria Limited, Duwan Company Limited, Tuntise Investment Limited, Universal Chemical and Explosives, Co. Limited, Nigerian Development Construction Company, Gatamitech Nigeria Limited, Dynocraft Limited, Explo-tech Nigeria Limited, and Gamla Pyrotechnic Limited.

But even if Mamadou or any other entity were to buy from these companies, they would need a permit from the Mines Inspectorate.

SECRET DEALS AND SLOPPY OFFICIALS

The Mining Cadastral Office and the Mines Inspectorate are crucial agencies in Nigeria’s mining sector. The former deals with the administration of mineral titles while the latter is responsible for granting licenses to companies involved in the manufacturing, sale, purchase, or import of explosives. These licenses require specific documentation.

For instance, if a mining company wants to purchase explosives, they must provide the following documents: a tax identification certificate, CAC registration certificate, article & memorandum of association, attestation of non-conviction of criminal offence, three years’ current tax clearance certificate, and evidence of correspondence with the foreign laboratory where the analysis will be conducted.

Additional documents required include evidence of adequate explosive storage facilities, monthly returns on explosives for the three preceding months, monthly returns on mineral production (quarries) for the three preceding months, evidence of royalties payment for the three preceding months, and evidence of receipt and usage of previous permits.

“As soon as we grant the permit to buy explosives, we will send it to NSA, and also a copy to DSS and the Inspector General of Police. We also convey the approval to the Federal Mines Officer in charge of the state where the blasting will take place,” an official at the Mines Inspectorate told PREMIUM TIMES.

At the point of purchase, the anti-bomb explosive ordinance department of the Nigeria Police Force and the mining officer in the state are tasked with ensuring the safe transportation and storage of the explosives. The mining officer would also document the quantity of explosives stored and used by the company. These details form part of the information documented in the company’s explosives returns.

Documents posted by an X user, Joshua Oyeshola from debris at the explosion site suggested that Meduret in the past applied for and received permits to buy explosives in 2015 and 2017.

But in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Ajeyede Ganiyu, the head of Mines Inspectorate, said that Meduret may have been issued a permit in the past. However, current records of the department indicate that the company, in the past five years, has neither applied for nor issued a permit to buy explosives. He also explained that a permit to buy explosives is valid for just two months.

So, how did Meduret obtain explosives without a permit to buy them, and why didn’t the mines inspectorate query the source of the company’s explosives, as it had neither applied for nor received a permit to buy/use explosives?

“He (Camara Mamadou) doesn’t have a record in our ministry. Since he’s not in our record, he cannot get an explosive permit officially. But it’s possible he got it illegally from any source. We don’t know how he got the explosives; maybe he is into illegal operations,” Ganiyu said.

Another mining regulatory official, who sought anonymity because they hadn’t been cleared to speak to the press, tied the disregard for regulations to corruption. The source suggested that Mamadou was into the sale of explosives and was able to bribe law enforcement officials to look away.

“All the security agencies are with him. They all know him. He bribes his way. You know, in Nigeria, anything goes; once you tip some necessary people, you can go about your business,” the official stated.

PREMIUM TIMES could not, however, find evidence of bribery linked to Mamadou although that view was shared by many other sources in the mining sector.

Janet Adeyemi, the national president of Women in Mining in Nigeria (WIMIN), corroborated the regulatory official in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

“The whole thing boils down to corruption,” Adeyemi said, explaining that the only way a miner could have transported and stored explosives of such magnitude was by compromising government and security officials who had failed in their oversight duties. “In a sane country, quite a number of people should have resigned. Most times, these procedures are not followed. Nobody monitors anything.”

Gbenga Okunola, a professor of economic geology at the University of Ibadan, explained that Camara’s ability to illegally buy, transport, and use explosives “is a matter between the security agencies, and of course, the mines inspectorate officers.”

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, a former miner who admitted to having operated illegally explained that some miners work in collusion with the staff of licensed companies to access explosives illegally.

To fight the problem of compromised staff stealing and selling explosives illegally, Biodun Abu, CEO of Intrachem Limited and chairperson of the Association of Commercial Explosives Dealers, said the manufacturers have implemented systems such as close circuit television (CCTV) in their factories, coding of explosives, and escorting of these explosives during transportation to the end-users.

During a meeting held after the Ibadan explosion, Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, emphasised the importance of manufacturers taking measures to prevent suspected leakages from their factories. Additionally, he advised them to be vigilant and guard against any illegal production and sale of explosives by their employees.

One of the duties of the anti-bomb explosive ordinance department of the Nigeria Police Force is to escort explosives during transportation and ensure proper storage as approved. PREMIUM TIMES contacted the police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, with the findings of the investigation. However, calls and messages sent to his known mobile number went unanswered.

No contact information for Meduret is publicly available, but we visited the registered address listed on the Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC) website.

However, a printing shop and not a mining company operated on Number 47, Gbadebo Street, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state. A shop owner in the area told PREMIUM TIMES that Meduret vacated the shop many years ago.

A visit to Ayetoro-Ile community in Iwajowa LGA, a known mining site of Meduret, revealed that the mining company had stopped operation in the area about five years ago.

ILLEGAL MINING THRIVES

Miners are naturally attracted to Oyo state due to its rich deposits of minerals such as lithium, which is critical for energy transition, as well as marble and gemstones like rubellite, tourmaline, and spessartite garnet. According to the state government, this guarantees an annual production output of approximately $3.8 million.

However, illegal mining dominates the operations in the state. Olode village, located in Ibadan, is one such location. Even after the Bodija explosion in February, illegal miners continue to use explosives for their extractive operations.

In fear of being exposed, the miners and community members in Olode village are cautious of outsiders. However, we were able to gain rare access to document the activities of the illegal miners.

After barely 20 minutes in Olode, a blast was heard. A worker at the mining site confirmed that explosives are used regularly during blasting, a core activity in any mining process. However, these explosives are acquired through illicit means. Illegal miners depend on black market operators like Mamadou and his associates to undertake mining activities.

After using explosives to blast the rocks, workers used diggers to break the rocks into smaller pieces. Wearing the simplest safety gear, the workers began the gruelling task of separating sand and stones from the precious minerals. The illegal miners extract minerals such as feldspar and aquamarine.

Since these minerals are not accounted for, Nigeria loses badly needed revenue. According to the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, the country loses as much as $9 billion annually to the activities of illegal miners and smugglers of gold.

EXPLOSIVES BLACK MARKET

Illegal miners and other end-users of explosives provide a juicy market for black market operators like Mamadou.

Documents seen by this reporter indicate that licensed retailers and manufacturers of explosives sell Dynogel, a strength cap-sensitive explosive that comes in either water gel or packaged emulsion form, for N2,500 per one. But buyers from them would require documentation, such as the approval of the Mines Inspectorate. In contrast, black market dealers sell at N3,500 per unit, making a profit of N1,000 for each quantity sold but requiring no documentation.

Giving details of how the operation works, a former miner explained that illegal miners are willing to pay extra as they do not have a permit to buy explosives. The source further stated that the quantity of explosives they need is often small, so the black market is the only viable option.

Confidence MacHarry, a senior security analyst at SBM Intelligence, said there is a need for the government to review relevant legislation and close all loopholes. He stressed that the enforcement of mining and explosives laws must not be compromised.

“Agencies that have been tasked with managing public safety through regulation and compliance do not simply do their job for various reasons that border on corruption, incompetence, and negligence. So people who are charged with these things have to sit up to their responsibilities, and the people at the top who are supposed to hold them accountable, should work to hold them accountable,” MacHarry said.