The Lagos State Police Command has claimed that it successfully detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) around the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, hours before the End Bad Governance in Nigeria protest.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said that at around 4 p.m., a police officer reported at the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) base at Ikeja that while he was on his way along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, he sighted an unregistered white Corolla car parked on the main road close to the gate of Police Mobile Force (PMF) 23 Barracks, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

Hundeyin said that the officer told the Command that a young man alighted from the car and carefully dropped a bag by the side of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit fence, returned to the vehicle, and zoomed off.

He said that based on the report, a team of EOD-CBRN from the base was quickly mobilised to the scene to identify the object and render it safe.

He said the team confirmed that the substance was an IED and subsequently, the area was cordoned off and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was adopted.

He said the team took the IED to a safe distance for detonation accordingly.

Meanwhile, the residue of the IED has been collected for further analysis and investigation.

He said, “The Command equally calls on everyone to be security-conscious and vigilant, and encourages them to report any untoward incident or happening to the nearest Police Station or call the Command’s control room on 0806 515 4338 and 0806 329 9264.”