Residents of Oshodi, Agege, Mushin, Maryland, and other communities around the Ikeja military cantonment in Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria, are currently in panic mode as an explosion rocked the army facility just before midnight on Monday.
The cause of the incident was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian Army has been quick to announce that no life has been lost in the explosion.
A statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Major General, Onyema Nwachukwu, said the incident which occurred near the “Mammy Market” within the Cantonment has been put under control.
“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 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.”
In January 2002, same cantonment suffered an accidental detonation of a large stock of high calibre explosives.
As people fled the flames, many stumbled into a concealed canal and drowned.
The explosion and its aftermath are believed to have killed at least 1,100 people and displaced over 20,000, with many thousands injured or homeless.
The government of Nigeria launched an enquiry, which blamed the Nigerian Army for failing to properly maintain the base, or to decommission it when instructed to do so in 2001.
DDM is monitoring the latest incident and shall update readers accordingly.
