THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has weighed in on the explosion that occurred on Monday afternoon in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This newspaper had reported how the explosion occurred in front of the popular Mogadishu Army Cantonment, Abuja, along the Abuja-Nyanya road.
Witnesses disclosed to our correspondent that a suspected suicide bomber was reportedly killed when the explosion happened.
It was learnt the development led many passers-by, bystanders and other road users to scamper for safety during the incident.
In a statement on Tuesday, NEMA said the incident occurred when an individual wearing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attempted to infiltrate the Mogadishu Army Cantonment.
The device detonated during the attempt, killing the bomber on the spot and injuring one passerby.
NEMA said it was alerted to the explosion at about 1:47pm on Monday. Subsequently, a team was immediately activated to coordinate response.
The statement reads: “The team met stern looking security personnel at the already cordoned scene.
“Information gathered revealed that a Suicide Bomber attempted to sneak into the Barrack but met his Waterloo as the IED exploded on him while trying to negotiate an entry.
“The suicide bomber died instantly leaving one passerby injured. The EOD unit of the NPF evacuated the injured to the National Hospital and took over the scene for further investigation; bringing the operation to a close at 17:29hrs.
“Stakeholders present included NEMA, Military, NPF, DSS, and FRSC.”
