Fear gripped residents of Majekodunmi Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, when an object, suspected to be a bomb was found at the back of St. Leo’s Catholic Church. It was gathered from eyewitnesses that the object, tucked inside a used cement bag, was discovered by a passer-by at about 9a.m. on Wednesday and quickly raised alarm.
The initial reaction of the people was to scamper for safety until security men in the area reported the matter at the Anti-Bomb Unit.
Police officers from their headquarters on 65, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, came to take the object away.
Investigations revealed that the object was dropped by an unknown man who lodged at an hotel, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos.
Another source said it was one of the security men attached to the hotel in the neighbourhood who brought out the object and dumped it at the spot after it was found in a room where a man had just checked out.
It was said that if not for the alarm raised by passers-by, the hotel management would not have reported it to the police.
Most residents of the area agreed that the object was a bomb deliberately planted to wreak havoc in the area.
They said it was not a coincidence that the object was found in-between two churches. One of the eyewitnesses said: “You know there are two big churches here.
The bomb was found at the back of St. Leo’s Catholic Church and opposite the Assembly of God Church. “Had it been detonated when the churches are holding their services, you can imagine the extent of damage and panic it would have caused.
The explosion itself would have caused serious stampede.”
But the Commissioner of Police, Anti-Bomb Unit, Mr. Adebanjo Folusho, said the object was not a bomb, even as he described the incident as a hoax.
He said the object might have been planted at the spot by a mentally-deranged person to cause undue panic and ruled out the possibility of it being planted by terrorists.
“There was a bomb scare at about 10:20 hours this morning and it was reported by one Akinwunmi Olabode of Reliance Suite, off Toyin Street. He came to Anti-Bomb Unit Headquarters and reported that an object suspected to be bomb was found on the road.
“I immediately sent my operatives to the area and they inquired about it. They took the object to the headquarters where it was analysed and it was found to be a hoax.
The object was contained in an improvised live jacket, three pieces of red rubber strands, one computer mouse, four pieces of small rectangular object wrapped in a newspaper,” Adebanjo said.
Meanwhile, dare devil armed robbers yesterday ambushed police officers on escort of a new gen-eration bank transporting cash from Badagry to Lagos and in the process killed a police officer and a pregnant woman at Mowo bus stop, Badagry Expressway, Lagos.
The bank was said to be conveying over N5m in a Toyota Hilux van with registration number NA 621 KJA and a pick-up van LL200 with registration number DL 382 LXR.
This is against the standing instruction from the police that only bullion vans should be used for cash transit.
Eyewitness account said that the robbers, acting on a tip off, laid ambush at a bad portion of the road.
Our correspondent gathered that when the two vans conveying the money got to the spot, the robbers opened fire, killing a police officer, one Sergeant Sunday Agborila and a pregnant woman who was said to be roasting corns at the bus stop.
The robbers also carted away the money in the vans.
Other police officers injured in the gun duel are still recuperating at a public hospital.
Fielding questions from journalists at the Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Umar Abubakar Manko, confirmed the incident, saying investigation into the matter was ongoing.
He said: “Police have warned banks that whenever they want to transport money, they should use bullion van. The instruction on cash movement is very clear. But unfortunately in this matter, the people used ordinary vehicle in moving cash from Badagry to Lagos. We suspect inside connivance in the whole issue; but investigations are still ongoing and I don’t want to preempt issues.”
