The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, Monday, set up a Special Investigation Team to unravel the immediate and remote cause of the tragic explosion that occurred at Ogbese near Akure, the Ondo State Capital, on Friday, March 27, 2020.
A release by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said the team is headed by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, CP Maikudi A. Shehu.
The team, Mba further revealed, is made up of police officers from the Police Bomb Disposal Squad (Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit). The unit is a specialized arm of the force that oversees explosives and ordinance operations of thepolice including controlled detonation, safe evacuation, sweeping, assessment, analysis, intelligence and investigations touching on bombs and all forms of explosives related incidents.
“The Investigation Team,”DCP Mba continued, “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. 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, among others. The IGP hopes that with the involvement of NGSA, the quality and integrity of investigations into the explosion will be greatly enhanced.”
The IGP, according to the FPRO, enjoined Nigerians, especially those living around the scene of the incident, to avoid the area so as not to tamper with the scene-of-incident and other ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, the IGP sympathized with the government and people of Ondo State, particularly victims that sustained injuries or lost their property as a result of the incident.
Adamu also called for calm and assured that the outcome of investigations will be made public.