KADUNA — An explosion suspected to be Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) rocked a liquor joint at Kabala West, along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Western bypass in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state on Sunday leading to confusion.
The incident was said to have occurred when several football fans were watching the League Cup final (Carabao Cup) between Chelsea and Liverpool football teams at about 9.00 pm.
An eyewitness said when the owner of the liquor joint (beer parlor), Mr. Larry Nuhu sighted the suspected IED he innocently moved to a nearby mechanic workshop.
He then reported the matter on Monday to the police who came with bomb-detecting experts and neutralized the object and moved it away to their office.
I saw the object wrapped in a black bag with a battery connected to it, the kind of battery a motorcycle uses. But this morning, the Kaduna State Commissioner of police came with some of his men who are bomb experts and removed the object, he said.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, accompanied with the Garrison Commander, One Mechanized Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the scene of the incident on Monday evening.
Aruwan, while speaking with newsmen advised the owner of the joint to scale up personal security in the area, explained that the state government would continue to beef up security in the state.
On his part, the owner of the joint said: what happened yesterday (Sunday evening) at 9.30 pm, was that one of my staff rushed to call me and told me that one man came with a bag and suddenly he dropped the bag in the beer parlor and left.
It was a black bag and it was opened and I peeped inside and I saw cables there, negative and positive. Thank God I know science. So I noticed that it must be something dangerous, though positive and negative were not connected.
Another thought came to me to move the object from where customers were staying because it might be timed to cause serious damage. But I decided to move it away so that the damage could be minimal if it is timed. I took the risk and threw the bag far from the scene. So this morning I called the JTF who in turn invited the police.
The bomb experts came and identified it, it was a bomb. They combed the area and told me it was now safe. The Commissioner of police later came and gave me the advice to beef up local security in the area. He also advised that we should not allow anybody with a bag to enter the place.
I can estimate that over 70 to 80 people were watching the football match. This is because people were already leaving. After all, the match had come to an end. So some people had earlier left the place.
In the meantime, the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan in a statement, called on residents to be vigilant against explosive devices being planted by terrorists in the state.
The statement read: the advice became imperative following the explosion which rocked part of the state on Sunday night. Security operatives were working assiduously to ensure that there was no destruction of lives and property in the state.
Citizens are however urged to be alive to this threat and to remain watchful for suspicious persons loitering, or packages seemingly abandoned in strategic places.
Increased general awareness is strongly advised, and frequent thorough checks of premises are recommended,
Aruwan urged quarry operators in the state to enhance security around their sites and to also ensure that explosives materials were not easily accessible to be carted away for criminal purposes.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
Latest posts by Hassan Umar Shallpella (Regional Correspondent) (see all)
- Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri Quits From PDP - October 16, 2025
- Students Give ASUU, Federal Government 7 Days To Resolve Ongoing Disputes - October 16, 2025
- Yobe Retirees To Receive N5.8bn In Outstanding Gratuity - October 16, 2025
previous
Cameroonian Authority Encroaches Land In Nigeria, Triggers Protest From Community
next