The Nigerian Army has denied the speculation that Tuesday’s multiple blasts, which injured two persons and destroyed four buildings on Zomi Zomi Street, in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, was a caused by the Boko Haram sect.
The Commander of the 4 Brigade Command, Benin, Brigadier-General Farouk Yahaya, made this disclosure while addressing newsmen shortly after an on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the incident on Wednesday in Benin .
DAILY POST reports that there were two explosions at 41, off Upper Sakponba road in Benin, Tuesday evening when one of the tenants, Elue Chinedu, reportedly set fire on a heap of refuse within the compound.
It was gathered that one of the affected buildings had been used a hideout by suspected kidnappers but later abandoned after some soldiers reportedly raided it, following a tip off.
Yahaya, who noted that some military personnel had earlier inspected the scene, said, “By my assessment and by that of others, it is obvious (that) it is not a terrorist attack. It is not an attack on this place.
“The people around here can bear witness; we do not think it is an attack. Perhaps, you can describe it as an accident or something that was buried there that has maybe exploded.”
He added, “Sometimes, they can be kidnappers, armed robbers or even cultists. Based on information, we conduct what is called cordon and search, to search an environment or a place we suspect.
“But I am not in a position to say what was there two years ago. But what we saw suggests that whoever was there was having the material (IEDs) you saw.
“Probably they keep them there to use when they need them. But when they were raided, they abandoned the place and did not remember to carry what they left. And thank God they (criminals) they did not carry them. If they had, they would have used somewhere else.”
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