Fear and panic rose as an explosion hit the Ikeja Army Cantonment on 1st April 2024, the Nigerian Army however tagged the incident as a "minor explosion" and was suspected to be triggered by the burning of refuge and other inflammable debris by a farmer who cultivated the farmland in the barracks. In a statement issued by the director of army public relations, Onyema Nwachukwu stated that no casualty was recorded in the incident that occurred on a farmland near the Mammy market within the cantonment.
“This is to notify the general public that today Monday 1 April 2024, a minor explosion occurred within the Nigerian Army (NA) Cantonment in Ikeja, Lagos. The incident occurred on a farmland near the Mammy Market within the Cantonment,” the statement reads in part.“The explosion is suspected to have been triggered by the burning of refuse and other inflammable debris by a farmer who cultivated the farmland.
“Fortunately, no casualty was recorded in the incident. However, given that the Cantonment was recently cleared and certified free of unexploded ordnances, we understand that there could be concerns among the general public as a result of the historical antecedent of explosion within the Cantonment.
“The NA therefore wishes to assure the public that the situation is under control as the NA Engineers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has cordoned off the area of the farmland to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion. We urge residents in the general area not to panic and assure them of their safety.
Recall, in January 2002 several bombs exploded at the Ikeja cantonment, with hundreds of people fleeing the scene of the explosion drowned in murky water at Ejigbo, Lagos.
