Residents in some areas in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital are worried over an unidentified yellow aircraft that has been flying at a low level for more than three days in their respective areas.
It was gathered that the aircraft takes off within the premises of somewhere around Moniya from where it hovers around communities in the state.
Aside from Akobo, the aircraft has equally been sighted at Challenge, Basorun, IITA, Moniya and other communities within the State.
While the Oyo State Government is yet to state the aircraft, residents of the state have continued to show apprehension over the purpose of the aircraft.
However, an anonymous source says it may be related to a circular released by the Ministry of Mine and Steel Development months back, notifying the general public that the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MINDIVER) project, a World Bank-assisted project under the Ministry of Mine and Steel Development will embark on an Airborne Geophysical Survey Activity in Nineteen (19) states of the federation (covering 112 local Government Ares) to determine accurate mineral location using the modern-day aeromagnetic mechanism.
The states to be covered by the survey includes; Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, and Ebonyi. Others are Enugu, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Bauchi, and the F.C.T
The minister stated that the survey aircraft will be measuring the minor variation in the earth’s magnetic fields and gamma radiation in the soil.
It is a positive technique that does not involve sending out any signal or sound waves into the ground and therefore remains a very safe aerial survey.
The ministry, in the statement called on the state and local government that would be covered by this survey not to panic, either as a result of the loud noise of the aircraft due to the low flying altitude maintained by the aircraft or the pattern of movement of the aircraft.
