An explosion that occurred around a refuse dump at the front of the EDP Center Computer Audit Laboratory on Limson Road, in the Berger area of Ogun State, caused panic on Sunday.
During a visit to the area, our correspondent gathered from residents that the explosion, which occurred around 4.45am, caused a ditch at the scene.
The company’s security guard, Vitus Anyanwu, while expressing concern over the sudden explosion, said he alongside other persons on the premises of the company scampered to safety due to the incident.
He said, “I was on the premises when I heard a loud bang. I also saw how it lifted the particles around it. While I tried to run inside, I saw my son also running towards me and asking what happened. The effect of the blast shook the building.”
A resident in the area, Richard Emeruwa, said, “A few seconds after the blast, I heard the stones falling on the roof. We had to wait till morning to report to the police.”
The Chairman of the company, Christian Ekeigwe, urged the police to investigate the cause of the blast, adding that bomb fragments were found at the scene of explosion.
He said, “The police first responders found bomb fragments when they inspected the ground zero of the explosion. There is speculation that the firm is currently conducting system security audits for sensitive organisations in which criminals might be interested.
“We have witnessed a series of attacks on EDP experts in the past. We will be happy if the police authorities will bring due patient professionalism to the investigation as this might just be a warning shot. Even with that, we have made sure sensitive information in our hands is secure and will continue to be in a secure chain of custody.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the explosion was caused by a chemical reaction from a refuse dump.
He said, “It is not a bomb blast. It happened at the refuse dump close to the building. Our bomb disposal visited the scene and discovered that it was a chemical reaction from the refuse dump. Maybe it was because of the heavy heat. There was no casualty. It did not cause any damage.”
