The Nigerian Army said it has recovered 93 unexploded ordnances also known as bombs at the Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos in its ongoing operation dubbed ‘Exercise Clean Sweep’.
The exercise flagged off on Tuesday, was to clear the area following the 2002 bomb blast that rocked the cantonment.
The recovered bombs, according to the Army, were in various calibres and descriptions.
The Director at the Directorate of Explosives Search and Disposal, Nigeria Army Engineers / Coordinator of EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP, Colonel Abdulrazaq Kazeem, made the disclosure in his maiden brief on the update of the exercise on Thursday.
He said, “We have so far recovered 93 ordnances of different calibers. So at 93, we are not yet up to the explosives, we measure it in kilograms, so once we get to that particular explosive limit, then we’ll 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.
On his part, the Safety Officer, Lt Col Oluseyi Oladapo Bamikole said necessary measures had been put in place “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.