How bomb factory was discovered in Kogi

“Boko Haram is everywhere in our country and no place is safe anymore”. These were the words of Mr. John Christian who lives on Kano Road Kabba, where operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) uncovered a bomb-making factory. He said no one suspected that such activity was going on in the area, until they […]

“Boko Haram is everywhere in our country and no place is safe anymore”. These were the words of Mr. John Christian who lives on Kano Road Kabba, where operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) uncovered a bomb-making factory. He said no one suspected that such activity was going on in the area, until they woke up on Tuesday March 26, to discover that the area was cordoned off by heavily-armed security men. “There was pandemonium as no one knew why the security agents cordoned off the area until it became known that some people have been using the building to make bombs, shocking residents, especially when explosive items were brought out from the building,” he added.

 

Armed robbery gangs had in the past five months been attacking banks in Kabba, Okene, Ogorimagogo and Ajaokuta local government areas with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) similar to the one uncovered in Kabba, with security personnel having no answer.

Another resident told Weekly Trust that the owner of the building located at the Baptist Church area on Kano Road, is a Kabba indigene but lives elsewhere in the country. He said the owner left the house in care of one Baba-Nopa who was alleged to have rented the building out to the suspected criminals. “By the time they packed into the house January this year, it was only roofed without doors or windows, adding that no-one knows them or what they were doing as they always returned late at night and leave early mornings.

“People were suspicious of their movements when they brought in bricklayers to work inside even when the inner part of the house has been cemented before they rented it,” the source said, adding that the occupants of the building do not speak Yoruba or any of the indigenous languages as they are always heard speaking Hausa or Igbo. He also added that they were all male.

Meanwhile, Commander, Police Bomb-Squad, ASP Cletus Nzeji, who took newsmen round the building, said they found IEDs, including five hand grenades and other chemicals for manufacturing the devices. Other items recovered are army camouflage uniforms, caps, saws, cables, transistor radios, batteries of different sizes and video CD players. According to Nzeji, the recovered items would be taken to the laboratory for analysis, saying that they were able to discover the factory following a tip-off, but added that no arrest has been made.

Nzeji said investigation would reveal whether the devices belonged to armed robbers or Boko Haram sect members. He also said those making the bombs are the same people who had been terrorizing banks, as the devices are the same with those used in some past incidents.