Akure explosion: IG sets up committee to unravel cause of incident

Following the Saturday explosion in Akure, Ondo State capital, last weekend, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, has set up a fact-finding committee to unravel the cause of the explosion.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operation), Abdulmajid Ali, disclosed this in Akure while briefing the State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on what the police has done so far in unravelling the incident.

The DIG, who visited the governor shortly after visiting the site of the incident along Akure-Owo express road, said members of the committee include Police officers from the Police Bomb Disposal Squad (Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit.

Ali, who was accompanied by the Director-General of Geological Survey Agency, Nigeria, Dr Kaka Imam, said he had visited the scene of the unfortunate incident with his team and officials of the geological survey agency.

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According to him, samples of the soils had been taken and he assured that the committee would come out with an acceptable report within the next one week.

The DIG, who commended the governor Akeredolu over his display of maturity when he visited the scene, said the police are not sleeping on the issue and that they are working to unravel the mystery behind the blast.

He said “I will advise that we should be patient. The Inspector-General of Police has set up high powered team to investigate the explosion and see what will come out of it. We doing the investigation with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.

“We want to make sure that forensic investigation is carried out to actually ascertain what went wrong. A discreet investigation will be carried out.

“Our findings will be out very soon. By next week, it will be out. The investigators are experts and they know what they are looking for.”

Akeredolu, while commending the Nigeria Police for the steps taken so far, particularly lauded the state commissioner of police, Undie Adie, for being on his toes since the tragic incident, saying he has demonstrated the capacity of his office.

He noted that, while he was not against other views, particularly that of a University Don from Obafemi Awolowo Univerity (OAU), who claimed that the incident was caused by an asteroid, he said he will rely on the initial information he got from the Commissioner of Police.

“I am not saying the Professor was right or wrong and I am not making any conclusion. I have been speaking with some experts and they said if we were unable to found debris of the shattered truck within one-kilometer radius from the spot of the incident, that shows the incident was not caused by explosive devices.

“Already, the debris of the truck that was carrying these explosive devices that created a very large crater on the Express road, have been seen. This is not new, there are similar incidents with pictorial evidence.

“I am also relying on eyewitnesses’ accounts, particularly, the driver, who drove the vehicle and who is currently recuperating at our State Teaching Hospital, Akure.

“I am very sure that if it was asteroid, the NASRDA would have picked this when coming to earth. This is not what we can hide. I am already in touch with the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.”

Akeredolu, however, called for calm, urging the people to wait for the results of tests being carried out on the site of the blast.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE