BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Inspector General of Police (IGP). Mohammed Adamu, has set-up a Special Investigation Team to unravel the immediate and remote cause of what he described as the “unfortunate tragic” explosion that occurred at Ogbese near Akure, the Ondo State Capital on Friday, March 27, 2020.
The IGP said that the Team which is headed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, CP Maikudi A. Shehu, is made up of police officers from the Police Bomb Disposal Squad (Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit) which is a specialized arm of the Police that oversees explosives and ordinance operations of the Force.
He said the duties of the Bomb Disposal Squad include controlled detonation, safe evacuation, sweeping, assessment, analysis, intelligence and investigations touching on bombs and all forms of explosives related incidents.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said that the Investigation Team will work jointly with experts from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), the nation’s leading Research and Development Institution that is the sole repository of all geo-scientific data.
IGP Adamu said that the Agency has a state-of-the-art laboratory with the capacity and expertise to carry out a wide range of geo-scientific examinations including Laboratory/Forensic Examinations, Geochemical Analysis of Rocks, Minerals, Water, Sewage, Soil Samples and Site Investigations amongst others.
The police boss expressed the hope that with the involvement of NGSA, the quality and integrity of investigations into the explosion will be greatly enhanced.
IGP Adamu however enjoins the citizens especially those living around the scene of the incident to avoid the area so as not to tamper with the scene of incident and the ongoing investigations.
He expressed sympathy with the government and people of Ondo State particularly victims that sustained injuries or lost their property as a result of the incident.
The IGP called for calm and assured that the outcome of investigations will be made public.
