Explosions that rocked Offa local government area of Kwara State on Thursday night caused panic and confusion among residents who argued over the source of the blasts.
Explosions hit about three locations in Offa, destroying three buildings. Different sources gave different accounts about the possible cause.
Some residents claimed that the explosions were offshoots of bombs from the United States military that targeted terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State, while others thought a plane had crashed.
But the state commissioner of police, Adekimi Ojo, said no bomb was launched into Offa by the Americans.
Ojo told newsmen in Offa yesterday that there was no bomb in Offa, neither was there a plane crash.
He said, “What happened was just an ordinance and our IED experts have evacuated the debris. There is no cause for alarm, everything is under control as our IED experts have started discreet investigation.”
The management of Offa local government area described the cause of the explosion a suspected ordnance-related.
It stated that the affected area was cordoned off by security agencies to allow investigations.
The chairman of the local government area, Hon. Suleiman Omituntun, told newsmen, “It was at 9:38pm yesterday (Thursday) that I received a distress call about this incident. Thank God, no life was lost.
“It was not a bomb explosion, not a plane crash incident, it was just an ordinance that rocked this area. Thank God everything is now calm with residents going about their normal activities.
“The police have come with their experts. I suspect it could be that a drone was being tested and it backfired or it malfunctioned,” he said.
Omituntun and the special adviser on political matters to the state governor , Hon. Femi Whyte, and the divisional police officer in Offa Division visited the location immediately after the incident to assess the situation.
The council chairman urged residents to remain calm, vigilant and law-abiding and always verify information through credible and official sources to avoid the spread of fear and misinformation.
