The Police Command in Niger State said it has uncovered a large cache of explosive devices including bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices buried in multiple locations in the state.
It said although investigation is ongoing to unravel the sources of the explosive devices, they are suspected to have been concealed by terrorists and bandits who have been causing havoc in many local governments in the state.
Some of the local governments where the devices were uncovered include Galadima-Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area, Mutun-Daya in Munya LG, and Gbeganu Area of Minna.
The Command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement on Tuesday, that the findings were the handiwork of counter-insurgency operations conducted from 2021 to 2023 and collaborative effort involving the police and other security agencies in the state.
“The items include; -Four pipe-borne IEDs buried in the ground recovered at Galadima-Kogo, Shiroro LGA on 27th September 2021 -Explosives concealed in empty shells of suspected military missiles and a 5kg cooking gas cylinder recovered at Mutun-Daya, Shiroro LGA on 11th February 2022 -Explosives concealed in a ten-litre jerrican, three pieces of suspected military hand grenades and a bow-shaped improvised material recovered at Gbeganu area of Minna on 24th October 2023,” Abiodun stated.
He further stated that the explosives were neutralised on August 22, 2024, at a site located behind Zuma Rock in Suleja, under the supervision of SP Mohammed Mamun, the Officer in Charge of the EOD-CBRN (Explosive Ordinance Disposal – Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) Unit of the Command.
The command’s spokesperson also revealed that the development comes barely a week after suspected bandits carried out a ruthless attack, killing no fewer than 13 farmers in the state.
One of the sites where the explosives were recovered, Galadima-Kogo in Shiroro LGA was the site of a catastrophic bomb explosion in 2022, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of officers from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
