Army uncovers 93 unexploded bombs in Lagos despite past clearance, disposal

Ninety-three unexploded bombs (ordnance) have been recovered at the Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos, in the ongoing ‘Exercise Clean Sweep

The recovered bombs, according to the Army, were in various calibres and descriptions.

The Director at the Directorate of Explosives Search and Disposal, Nigeria Army Engineers / Coordinator of EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP, Colonel Abdulrazaq Kazeem, who made the disclosure at his maiden brief on the update of the exercise, yesterday, said among others, “So far, a total of 93 unexploded ordnance have been recovered from the site.

Despite past clearance and disposal exercises at the site, there have been several reports of the discovery of remnants of UXOs within and around the vicinity of the bomb blast much to the detriment of the safety and security of the inhabitants of the Cantonment and environment.

“The moment we reach maximum limits of explosives within our holding area, such ordinances will be moved to the range. If we get to the explosive limits today, I will move to the range today. We would not exceed a kilogramm above the explosive limits because it is measured in kilogramme. We wouldn’t cross that line. At 93, we have not yet reached the limits,” he reiterated.

On his part, the Safety Officer, Lt Col Oluseyi Oladapo Bamikole said necessary measures had been put in place “for the safety of personnel as they have made adequate equipment available including demarcations and trained personnel to identify UXO before recovery from the site”.

The  First Mail online reports that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja on Tuesday  October 10, had

charged the troops to carry out their duties diligently within the confines of the law and stipulated codes of conduct.

Gen Lagbaja handed the charge while inaugurating  EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP” at the Ikeja Cantonment Lagos to clear Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the unfortunate 2002 bomb blast, which occurred then at the Nigerian Army Cantonment located at Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos.

The COAS also

simultaneously flagging off three training exercises at the occasion.

The exercises are  EXERCISE  STILL WATERS 3, GOLDEN DAWN 3 and ENDURING PEACE 3 in an effort to ensure the protection of lives and property across the federation, as the year draws to an end.

The Exercises, which are to curb the security challenges in the South South, South East, South West and North Central Nigeria, are to run concurrently in the respective geopolitical zones till the year runs out.

Flagging off the Exercise, General Lagbaja maintained that the exercises are to combat diverse emerging security challenges  peculiar to the affected geopolitical zones,  in order to mitigate the spiking of such challenges associated with the last quarter of the year.

He added, that this is when many Nigerians travel around the country in the spirit of the yuletide thereby necessitating the need for a safe and enabling environment for citizens to go about their lawful businesses without fear or apprehension.

“We should not be a problem to the citizens we are trying to protect”, he cautioned.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony, the Army Chief revealed that the objective of the exercise is to completely disinfect the epicenter of the Ikeja bomb blast and clear it of all verified and suspected remaining Unexploded Explosive Ordnances lying around the cantonment.

He pointed out that initial clearance operations ensured some degree of safety in the Cantonment and its environ, adding that the recent discovery of some Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the blast raised the need for the Nigerian Army to carry out a follow-up clearance exercise in the Cantonment and its environ.

Noting that the exercise will be conducted for 61 days, the COAS enjoined members of the public, particularly those in Lagos and Ogun states not to panic on sighting the movement of special military vehicles and hearing the sound of explosion    during the conduct of the exercise. He assured that appropriate safety and security measures have been emplaced to guarantee an accident free exercise.

He disclosed further in a statement made available to The First Mail online in Abuja that in compliance with global best practice, all relevant emergency and response agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, State Emergency Management Agency and the Medics will work in synergy to ensure  successful completion of the exercise.