In its ongoing operation known as “Exercise Clean Sweep,” the Nigerian Army reported that it has found 93 unexploded ordnances, also known as bombs, at the Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos.
The exercise, which began on Tuesday, was intended to clear the area after the bombing that shook the cantonment in 2002.
According to the Army, the recovered bombs came in a range of sizes and types.
Colonel Abdulrazaq Kazeem, Director at the Directorate of Explosives Search and Disposal, Nigeria Army Engineers, and Coordinator of EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP, revealed this in his first update on the exercise on Thursday.
He said, “We have so far recovered 93 ordnances of different calibers. We measure it in kilograms, so at 93 we are not yet up to the explosives; once we reach that specific explosive limit, we will move to the range,” he said.
Despite past clearance and disposal exercises at the site, there have been several reports of the discovery of remnants of UXOs within and around the vicinity of the bomb blast much to the detriment of the safety and security of the inhabitants of the Cantonment and environment.
The Safety Officer, Lt Col Oluseyi Oladapo Bamikole, stated that all necessary precautions had been taken “for the safety of personnel as they have made adequate equipment available including demarcations and trained personnel to identify UXO before recovery from the site.
Also speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Oluseyi Bamikole, the safety officer, highlighted that adequate equipment, demarcations, and trained personnel have been made available to identify UXOs before recovery, emphasizing the meticulous approach taken to ensure the safety of all those participating in this critical mission. ”.
