Police discover bomb factory disguised as church, mosque
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State
Command, Mr. Muhammed Katsina, on Monday said the command had uncovered
another bomb factory in Okaito, a remote village in Okehi Local
Government Area of the state.
From December 2011 till date, four
different bomb factories had been uncovered in Kogi State. One was at
Kabba, while the remaining three were at Lokoja, Okene, Okehi and Adavi
areas.
Speaking with journalists in Lokoja, he
said police officers uncovered the bomb factory with the help of the
suspect arrested in connection with last Sunday’s bomb explosion near
Living Faith Church and Deeper Life Christian Church, along
Okene-Obehira Road in Okene.
Katsina said the police recovered from the
bomb factory, 46 Improvised Explosive Device, three bottles of potassium
Chloride, 15 fuses, 15 capacitors, five litres of acid and one
electrical detonator.
Others items, according to him, were
Bibles, Qurans, 250m detonating cord, three remote controlled siren GSM
sets, rolls of firing cables, nails of various sizes, ammunitions,
motorcycle, and other household items.
He said the factory buildings were designed
as a church and a mosque ostensibly to deceive people while in actual
fact, they were buildings where bombs of various sizes were
manufactured
and transportation to other places.
He, however, did not name the owners of the buildings, but said investigations were ongoing.
While parading the suspect, Katsina warned
that those arrested in connection with any crisis or insecurity in any
part of the state would be punished according to the law, no matter how
highly placed.
He also advised property owners, especially
landlords to scrutinise prospective tenants thoroughly before giving
out their properties.
Also, less than 48 hours after an attack by
suspected terrorists gang in the Mahuta Village of Kaduna State, the
police in the state said on Monday that they raided a bomb factory
located at Rafin-Guza, near Kawo, where it impounded different cans of
explosives and bomb-making powder.
Police Public Relation Officer of the state
command, Aminu Lawan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said one
person was reportedly killed during the attack which was repelled by the
youth of the area.
The Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Mr.
Mohammed Abubakar Jingiri, at a press briefing at the headquarters of
the command, said a “confessed terrorist” led the police to the hideout
where other items were equally recovered.
These included two bags of chemicals, a
jerry can of acid, two masks, an AK47 magazine with 27 rounds of live
ammunition and eight car alarm systems.
The commissioner had earlier on July 12,
said his men arrested three bandits who robbed a filling station manager
at Maraban Yakawaada, Giwa Local Government Area.
