Sad memories and fear gripped the Army Cantonment, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday as a bomb went off and killed a secondary school student.
Coming seven years after the massive explosions at the cantonment which led to the death of over 1000 Nigerians, the latest incident sent residents of the cantonment, which houses the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, into pandemonium.
The explosion was said to have occurred at noon when the victim, whose name was given as Joseph Tiem, and who was working as a labourer at a building site within the cantonment, went to roast a piece of yam.
Unknown to him, he was roasting the yam directly on top of some bombs buried at the ammunition transit depot where high calibre bombs are stored.
Tiem, said to be a student of Government College, Gudi, Nasarawa State, was killed instantly as a bomb went off.
He was said to be on holiday and was staying with his uncle, identified as Staff Sergeant Dominic Tiem. His body has been deposited at the mortuary of the Military Hospital.
Immediately after the blast, soldiers cordoned off the entire area. Only soldiers were allowed to enter the barracks.
Yesterday’s explosion occurred despite assurances from some experts from the US who certified the place as 95 per cent “okay”. They were in Nigeria to help detonate the buried bombs after the 2002 explosion.
The Army Chief of Policy and Plans NA, Maj. Gen. Abubakar Atofarati, along with some Principal Staff Officers at Nigeria Army headquarters, flew into Lagos at the instance of the Army Chief, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazou, and headed straight to the accident spot.
Addressing journalists, he said the incident was not a bomb blast but a fuse that went off as a result of the heat from the fire.
He said the army chief had directed that the place be cordoned off and that army experts led by the Director, Army Engineering Corps would visit the place to ensure that it is safe.
He explained that bombs do not like excessive heat, differentiating yesterday’s incident from the 2002 tragedy. He assured all soldiers and officers that there was no cause for alarm, explaining that the incident does not mean that bombs are still scattered all over the place.
Recently, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Eugene Waguma, expressed worries over the condition under which arms and ammunition were kept.
He told the Minister of State for Defence, Chief Ademola Seriki, during the latter’s visit to Lagos that arms and ammunition received from Ikorodu were being kept in the open.
Mar182009