The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Explosives

  • Man caught with ‘explosives’ in OAU

    What was the mission of Rasak Adebayo, a stranger caught in Awolowo Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State? Students claimed he wanted to blow up the campus; the management said he is deranged, reports KEMI BUSARI (Political Science).

    His mission to the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, was not clear, but Rasak Adebayo, a non-student, was found with materials students suspected to be explosives. He was caught at noon on Sunday while attempting to open one of the doors to the Awolowo Hall.

    The incident happened barely three days after a fire in the hostel, which students suspected to be an act of sabotage because its source is unknown. Students’ credentials and several other items were burnt in the inferno that razed Room 107 in Block 7 of the hostel.

    Students described the stranger as a bomber. Adebayo was clad in a dirty long cloth and shorts. His hair was unkempt.

    Items found on him included a stove with new wick, a plastic bottle containing suspected mixture of inflammable liquids, some old newspaper pages and used recharge cards of all mobile networks. The stranger, who feigned insanity, was said to have claimed to be a recharge card vendor.

    Eyewitnesses said Adebayo was caught by a student returning from church, who suspected his movement.

    “He stalked him till he stopped at Awolowo Hall annex (Block C), where he attempted to open the door. At that point, the stranger was challenged on his mission in the hostel,” a student who simply identified himself as Felix said.

    When Adebayo could not explain his mission, it was gathered that the student alerted other occupants of the hostel. Students said the items found on the stranger showed “beyond doubt” that he was up to mischief.

    Felix added: “His explanations were incoherent and we could not make out any logical conclusion from his statement because he was feigning insanity, but the items we found on him made us conclude that he was responsible for the fire in the hostel on Tuesday, last week. We concluded that his mission was to do the same when we would have gone out to watch the final match between Germany and Argentina today (Sunday).”

    After minutes of questioning, students released him to security officials, who transferred him to Moore Police Station.

    Mr Olanrewaju Abiodun, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), denied the stranger was a bomber. He, however, confirmed that “a mentally unstable man” was apprehended by the school security personnel with a stove, kerosene and water.

    He said: “Because he could not explain himself properly, the school security operatives believe he is mentally unstable and handed him over to the police. We want people to know that the objects found with the stranger were not explosives.”

     

  • Police recover explosives in Ibadan

    Police recover explosives in Ibadan

    The police in Oyo State have recovered explosives on the Podo/Ijebu-Ode road in Ibadan, the state capital.

    Police Commissioner Mohammed Indabawa told reporters yesterday that the explosives were recovered around 3:15am last Sunday.

    He said policemen flagged down a taxi with three occupants, but the driver refused to stop.

    Indabawa said: “After a hot chase, the occupants of a Nissan Sunny car painted in Ogun State’s commercial colour abandoned the vehicle and escaped into the bush.

    He said his men searched the vehicle and discovered six cartons of explosive powder, two cartons of solar detonating cords and 16 bundles of 10 wires each of delay detonator wires.

    The commissioner said the car had two registration numbers, Ogun-XC XFR AKM and AL 831 LUY.

    He said investigations showed that the explosives were stolen from Express Quarry at Toll-Gate on August 8 and assured the people that the culprits would be apprehended.

    Indabawa said a student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Tosin Adegbite (24), was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a two-year-old girl.

    The incident occurred at Ile-Alaroje in Ogbomoso last Friday.

    He said the suspect was arrested following a distress call. He said one jack knife, two rolls of cellotape, one fez cap, one cable wire, the victim’s sandals and one LAUTECH identity card were recovered from Adegbite.

    Adegbite, who is studying Electrical-Electronics Engineering, said he kidnapped the girl to collect N700,000 ransom.

  • Task Force intercepts boat-load of explosives in Rivers

    The National Task-force (NATFORCE) responsible for combating illegal importation, smuggling of goods, small arms, ammunition and light weapons has intercepted a boat loaded with devices suspected to be explosives along the Andoni River in Rivers State.

    Its Director-General, Chief Osita Okereke, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt at the weekend, said that the explosives believed to have been smuggled into the country have been handed over to Rivers State Police Command.

    Okereke, however, expressed disappointment with the attitude of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, who he alleged refused to see him for over one hour when he came with some of his men and representatives of various media organisations to officially hand over the intercepted explosives.

    Mbu, he said, referred him to the Deputy Commissioner of Police after keeping him waiting with a promise to make a report to the Presidency and the Inspector General of the Police on his findings.

    This cold reception, he stated, has reinforced the perception that the State Police Command has ulterior motives.

    Okereke, however, revealed the smugglers could not be arrested because they took off the moment they noticed members of the Task Force from afar.

    He claimed men of the Task Force, who are also divers, immediately got into the river and brought out some of the explosives, which have been negotiated for N8million and were being transported to the unknown buyers.

     

  • Golf-car stuffed with explosives, guns and ammunitions impounded by Kano Police

    Golf-car stuffed with explosives, guns and ammunitions impounded by Kano Police

  • Nigerian firms import explosives detectors from US

    Nigerian firms import explosives detectors from US

    Nigerian firms have been buying hand held explosives detector to protect their offices from attack.

    The Boko Haram (Western education is a sin) insurgency took an upward swing in the country last year, especially in the North.

    The activities of the sect have resulted in the killing of more than 2000 people. It has also crippled the economy of Borno and Yobe states, the epicentres of the activities of the sect, which says it wants to islamise Nigeria.

    American company Implant Sciences Corporation yesterday said it has won a contract to sell its Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 handheld explosives trace detectors to a customer for critical infrastructure protection in Nigeria.

    The high technology supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defence markets said the deal marks the sixth sale to Nigerian customers in seven months. The customers were not named. But many companies and churches have invested money in bomb and metal detectors because of Boko Haram attacks.

    “Our systems have developed a reputation of excellence in Nigeria,” said VP of sales and marketing, Darryl Jones.

    Jones noted that critical infrastructure protection is a growing market segment for the company.

    “Our systems’ minimal supply and maintenance requirements are especially attractive to customers in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia,” added president and CEO Glenn D. Bolduc.

    The Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 uses Ion Mobility Spectrometry technology for fast, accurate detection of trace amounts of a wide variety of military, commercial, and homemade explosives.

    Its retail price is $39,000.00 (N6.16 million).

    Built with no radioactive materials and featuring a low-maintenance, Implant said the self-calibrating, and self-clearing design, the QS-H150 provides “very high levels” of operational availability.

    The company added that the QS-H150 has been proven to perform well in a wide variety of temperatures and challenging environments, from humid jungles to dry deserts.

    Implant Sciences also makes the Quantum Sniffer QS-B220, which is a trace detector that utilises ion mobility spectrometry to find a number of military, commercial or homemade explosives and narcotics.

    Terrorist attacks are on the rise in the world. In 2009 alone, there were over 11,000 attacks worldwide. A very large proportion of these attacks were committed using explosives. Defending against these attacks requires detecting the bombs, and bomb makers.

    Those carrying out attacks go to great lengths to conceal their bombs. They hide them inside seemingly innocuous items. They shield them against scanning systems. And once the bomb is placed, there’s no visible evidence to identify the bomber. Fortunately, there are other clues.

    People who make bombs get microscopic amounts of explosives on their hands, their clothing, and anything they touch: the outside of container they put the bomb in… the handle of their luggage… the steering wheel and shifter of their vehicle. These explosive traces are invisible and difficult to remove, but they are still detectable using the right equipment.

  • Fashola: how did the explosives come into the country?

    Fashola: how did the explosives come into the country?

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola raised posers on “fire-crackers” that caused the fire when he visited the site of the incident yesterday.

    Fashola said: “It is really unfortunate. It is another self-inflicted tragedy. All of these explosives came in through our borders where we have men and women stationed. How did they get in? Who imported them? Who approved their importation? These are very serious questions we should ask.

    “We must also ask ourselves: must we do every business? Now, because somebody wants to make quick money, we have lost all these property and all of us are endangered. It calls for soul-searching and reflection.

    “Does the way we do business benefit all of us? Should our attitude continue to be: so, long I make money; I don’t care if other people die and lose properties?

    “We have continued to improve on our capacity for emergency response and equip the fire service, set up the safety commission but that is much as we can do. People must now choose to obey laws and regulations.

    “We have had too many fire incidents in spite of my appeal over the last two months that we are going into the dry season and people should resist the temptation to store flammable materials and explosives in the house.

    “Two weeks ago, over a weekend, the fire service responded to twenty-two fire incidents, we can reduce that figure. Our officers can’t be in peoples’ homes checking who is storing fuel. People must now make commitment to their own safety.

    “If this trend continues, a time will come when we would overwhelm the fire service. and once there is an error, the consequences are always devastating.

    “If we enforce physical planning law, we are seen as a very tough government. If we make laws to safeguard lives and property, we are seen as anti-poor government. And some of the people who canvass this wrong notion are not here to witness this huge loss now. They are not here to pick up the body. We are the ones here to clear the mess.

    “I came here now and the first appeal people are making is for me to ban the use of banger and other explosives.”

  • Suleja bombing: ‘Suspects wanted to produce 200 explosives’

    Suleja bombing: ‘Suspects wanted to produce 200 explosives’

    An Army Officer told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday that the bomb components seized from four suspects of the Suleja bombing could produce 200 explosives.

    The officer, a prosecution witness, whose name was not given for security reasons, revealed this when crossed examined in the case filed by the State Security Service against the six people that are allegedly involved in the Suleja/Madalla bomb attack.

    He had on December 5 in his evidence-in-chief testified that Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana-Umar, Mohammed Ali and Musa Adam were arrested on July 28, 2011 at Gumel Junction, Kachia in Kaduna with the items.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Umar Ibrahim and Shuaibu Abubakar, were also standing trial for alleged multiple bombings and killings in Suleja and Madalla both in Niger.

    When asked how he concluded that the items were components for making explosives, the officer explained that the materials were subjected to expert scrutiny.

    He further said that “as an army officer exposed to proper training I could tell from my experience and exposure on warfare that the items are for IEDs.”

    Countering, Mr. Emeka Okoro, Counsel to the accused persons claimed that the items were not complete explosives at the point of his clients’ arrest.

    The officer further countered Okoro’s submission that the suspects were quarry workers who used similar explosives to blast rocks, as according to him, “the mission of the suspects was to cause mayhem.’’