The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has disclosed that plans have been concluded by the army to clear unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the 2002 bomb blast.
The explosion occurred on January 27, 2002 at the Military Cantonment in Ikeja area of the state.
The explosion is believed to have killed at least 1,100 people and displaced over 20,000 with many others injured.
The COAS also simultaneously flagged off three training exercises in Lagos. The exercises are Exercise Still Waters III, Golden Dawn III, and Enduring Peace III.
“The Army Chief revealed that the objective of the exercise is to completely disinfect the epicenter of the Ikeja bomb blast and clear it of all verified and suspected remaining Unexploded Explosive Ordnances lying around the cantonment.
“He pointed out that initial clearance operations ensured some degree of safety in the Cantonment and its environment, adding that the recent discovery of some Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the blast raised the need for the Nigerian Army to carry out a follow-up clearance exercise in the Cantonment and its environ,” Lagbaja was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday night by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu.
He said the exercises were part of efforts to ensure the protection of lives and property across the federation, as the year draws to an end.
The COAS also said the exercises were meant to curb the security challenges in the South-South, South East, South West, and North Central Nigeria, adding that the exercises are to run concurrently in the respective geopolitical zones till the year runs out.
It partly read, “Flagging off the Exercise, Lagbaja maintained that the exercises are to combat diverse emerging security challenges peculiar to the affected geopolitical zones, to mitigate the spiking of such challenges associated with the last quarter of the year.
“He added that this is when many Nigerians travel around the country in the spirit of the yuletide thereby necessitating the need for a safe and enabling environment for citizens to go about their lawful businesses without fear or apprehension.
“Lagbaja, however, charged the troops to carry out their duties diligently within the confines of the law and stipulated codes of conduct. According to the Army Chief, “We should not be a problem to the citizens we are trying to protect.”
