Pix: Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa
The Nigerian Army has advised Lagosians not to panic over the explosion that occurred in the Nigerian Army Cantonment Ikeja, Lagos, Monday.
This is just as it said investigation had begun to ascertain the cause.
The incident occurred barely four months after the clearance of remnants of unexploded ordnances from the site of the January 28,2022 bomb blast in the cantonment.
At the end of the clearance exercise tagged ‘Exercise Clean Sweep’,155,275 Unexploded Explosive Ordnance were recovered. Thereafter, the blast’s epic centre measuring 155,275 square metres was declared safe and secured for productive development.
But the latest explosion has raised concern from members of the public, as it happened after the area had been certified safe.
However, the Army authorities said no life was lost, as it described it as a minor explosion.
Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, who confirmed the incident, said it occurred on Monday, April 1, 2024.
Nwachukwu in a statement issued yesterday, said, “ This is to notify the general public that on Monday, April 1, 2024, a minor explosion occurred within the Nigerian Army (NA) Cantonment in Ikeja, Lagos. The incident occurred on a farmland near the Mammy Market within the Cantonment.
“The explosion is suspected to have been triggered by the burning of refuse and other inflammable debris by a farmer who cultivated the farmland.
“Fortunately, no casualty was recorded in the incident. However, given that the Cantonment was recently cleared and certified free of unexploded ordnances, we understand that there could be concerns among the general public as a result of the historical antecedent of explosion within the Cantonment.
“The NA therefore wishes to assure the public that the situation is under control as the NA Engineers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has cordoned off the area of the farmland to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion. We urge residents in the general area not to panic and assure them of their safety”.