Panic in Lagos over Bomb scare

Traders and residents around the central mosque area on Lagos Island were rattled on Thursday when they heard that there were explosives in a bag dumped in the area by an unknown person.

There was panic as residents and traders scampered for safety to avoid being hit by the suspected bomb. The state Police Spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), however said the content of the abandoned bag was not explosives but fillants.

Fillants are used in fixing ships when there is leakage.

Braide, who thanked residents for being security conscious, said operatives from the anti-bomb unit were deployed to the scene immediately the report reached them. “We deployed operatives from the anti-bomb unit who went to the scene, cordoned off the area and recovered the bag. It was taken for analysis and the content was discovered to be fillants.

“The area is a market place and it could have dropped from somebody. Lagosians should remain calm as there is no course for alarm. The security of lives and properties are important to the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko and he is leaving no stone unturned to achieve this,” she stated.

The reports has it that when the bag was spotted in the morning, some residents and traders abandoned their homes and wares and fled the area. Some were even calling their friends and relatives on the Island to inform them about the suspected bomb and the need to stay away from the area.

The Nation