Nigeria Army Says Refuse Burning Triggered Explosion At Ikeja Cantonment

By Akinwale Kasali

Following the pandemonium that erupted at the Ikeja Military Cantonment on Easter Monday as a result of an Explosion, the Nigeria Army has disclosed that the minor incident was as a result of refuse burning.

A statement signed by the Director of Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu revealed that no casualty was recorded in the incident.

According to  Onyema, the “minor explosion’ occurred on a farmland near the mammy market within the Cantonment.

“This is to notify the general public that today Monday 1 April 2024, a minor explosion occurred within the Nigerian Army (NA) Cantonment in Ikeja, Lagos. The incident occurred on a farmland near the Mammy Market within the Cantonment,” the statement reads.

“The explosion is suspected to have been triggered by the burning of refuse and other inflammable debris by a farmer who cultivated the farmland.

“Fortunately, no casualty was recorded in the incident. However, given that the Cantonment was recently cleared and certified free of unexploded ordnances, we understand that there could be concerns among the general public as a result of the historical antecedent of explosion within the Cantonment.

“The NA, therefore, wishes to assure the public that the situation is under control as the NA Engineers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has cordoned off the area of the farmland to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion. We urge residents in the general area not to panic and assure them of their safety.”

It would be recalled that on January 27, 2002, there was an explosion at the Ikeja Cantonment leading to the death of hundreds of people, with several casualties recorded.