AN unexploded substance suspected to be a bomb was discovered on the premises of a church housing a nursery school in Enugu yesterday.

The school, which is located on the premises of Our Saviour Anglican Church, One Day Road Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Council Area was in session when workmen digging a sewage pit discovered the suspected explosive. The workmen immediately abandoned their work and left the scene.

The children were immediately evacuated, while the resident priest of the church, Rev. Chukwudi Eneasato alerted security operatives including the police and the State Security Services (SSS).

The Divisional Police Officer for Awkunanaw division, CSP Bassey Ewa who rushed to the scene with his men had on sighting the explosive cordoned off the area and invited the anti-bomb squad of the state police command to recover the object, while men of the SSS carried out a preliminary investigation at the scene.

Upon arrival at the panic-soaked area about an hour later, the anti-bomb squad moved close to the pit where the suspected bomb was discovered and scanned the entire premises before taking away the substance.

Speaking with reporters at the scene, the Zonal Commander of the Police anti-bomb squad who led the operation, ASP Dappa Sogbere said the object was recovered as an ordinance, noting that it would be taken for analysis.

“For now, the much I can say is that what we have is an ordinance which will be taken for laboratory analysis after which the commissioner of police will make the finding public,” Sogbere noted.

Also, the Archdeacon of Achara Layout Arch-deaconry, which controls Our Saviour Anglican Parish, the Venerable Honest Nwosu described the discovery of the suspected explosive as divine.

He, however, allayed fears that the object might have been planted by unknown persons saying that “from what I’ve observed, this object may have been buried there since after the civil war long before we acquired this place but all the same, let’s allow the police to do their work and tell us their findings.”

One of the workmen said he alerted other workers when he discovered the suspected explosive, giving thanks to God that none of the workers was hit by the object.

-Guardian

Posted by admin on May 13 2011. Filed under Enugu, Headlines, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry