Residents of the Oke Moshi area of Lagos today woke up to a loud sound that was later detected to be an explosion. The blast was soon traced to a gold Toyota Sienna van that had been parked overnight along Way Street in the area, drawing the attention of residents and security agencies.
Speaking while making an on-the-spot assessment at the scene of the blast, the police assured residents that the area had now been confirmed safe. According to the police, this followed a thorough sweeping of the location carried out by explosive ordnance disposal experts deployed to the site.
The police said the explosion was finalised to be an improvised explosive device, commonly referred to as an IED. The determination came after the explosive ordnance disposal team examined the vehicle and the surrounding area to establish the nature of the blast.
Giving an account of what happened, the owner of the vehicle said that he had parked it at the spot overnight. He stated that this morning, when he entered the vehicle and started it, he saw an explosion coming from the passenger side of the vehicle.
The owner of the vehicle sustained a minor injury as a result of the explosion. He was taken to the hospital, where he received treatment and was said to have been stabilised after the incident at the scene in the Lagos neighbourhood.
Following the assessment, the police moved to reassure residents that the area was now safe, after the device had been identified and the scene swept by the explosive ordnance disposal team. The reassurance was aimed at calming concerns among residents who had been startled by the morning blast.