BEVERLY HILLS, May 26, (THEWILL) – The Ebonyi State Police Command has said the man who died in an explosion on Tuesday in Afikpo was not a suicide bomber as widely speculated.
Residents had speculated on Tuesday that the deceased was a suicide bomber.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebonyi State Police Command, DSP Loveth Odah, said the blast was a result of an accidental hand grenade explosion.
She said the victim of the blast was a Mobile Police Officer, Idi Aminu, of 32 PMF attached to Afikpo Police Division in Ebonyi State.
The spokesperson explained that the MOPOL Inspector mistakenly hit the lead of his grenade, which was hanging on his waist with his elbow resulting in the deadly explosion.
Earlier, residents had claimed that the suspected suicide blew up himself.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, around 11.30am, opposite Campus 2 of the Amaizu/Amangbala Primary School.
The huge explosion from the blast was said to have prompted residents in the area to scamper for safety.
Meanwhile, Ebonyi State’s Governor David Umahi also confirmed that the device was the grenade of a security officer and not a bomb as being speculated.
The Governor, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, said: “The above news is in sharp contrast to the reality as the incident was a grenade of a security personnel carrying out his duties at the said location that accidentally exploded. A similar incident equally occurred in front of the Ebonyi State Old Government House as some mobile police officers were servicing their APC machine. The first incident took the life of a passerby while the second caused injuries on the affected person, who has been taken to the hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.
“The general public is, therefore, charged to disregard the fake news as it is the handiwork of enemies of the state who are bent on causing panic where none exists.
“Furthermore, Ebonyians and residents of Ebonyi State are reminded that generating and spreading fake news aimed at causing panic in the state is actionable.”
However, in his reaction, a retired veteran journalist and President General in the Afikpo community, Chief Jasper Okoro, said a number of residents suspected that the explosion came from a bomb.
He said the explosion occurred near their Eke Market and a primary school, and that the casualty figure could have been high if the bearer of the explosive had reached the market or the school.
