By Damilare Adeleye
Less than 24 to the planned nationwide protests, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has been discovered at the fence of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service on Bank Anthony way, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday.
The object was discovered on the eve of the 10-day-long protest slated to hold between August 1 to 10 across all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
It was learnt that the IED was allegedly dropped by a yet to identified person who drove to the spot in a car and zoomed off immediately after the action.
It was also learnt that the suspects was first sighted by a police officer attached to the Explosive Ordinance Depot (EOD) Base in Ikeja.
A police source said the officer saw a man in an unregistered Toyota Corolla car parked close to the entrance of the PMF 23 barracks along Mobolaji Bank Anthony way, Ikeja.Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, confirmed the incident on Wednesday.
Fayoade, who spoke through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the officer who sighted the suspect is attached to the Police Explosives Ordinance Depot (EOD) base in Ikeja.
The Lagos State Police boss said the suspected parked his unregistered Toyota Corolla car on the main road, close to the gate of PMF 23 barracks“The officer sighted a young man alighted from the car and carefully dropped a bag by the side of FOU Zone A fence. The young man returned to bis car and zoomed off.
“Based on the report a team of the report, a team of EOD-CBRN experts from the base quickly mobilized to the scene to identify the object.
“On arrival it was confirmed that truly the item is IED. Subsequently, the area was cordoned off and the IED Rendered safe and thereafter detonated accordingly. Meanwhile the residual of the IED was collected for further analysis and investigation” he added.