The ongoing ‘Exercise Clean Sweep’ at the Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos has unearthed a startling discovery. A total of 93 unexploded bombs, known as ordnance, have been recovered, adding a new layer of concern to the exercise.
The operation, which was launched on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, aims to sanitize the site that was at the epicenter of a devastating bomb blast in 2002. The recovered ordnance varies in caliber and description, making this discovery all the more critical.
Colonel Abdulrazaq Kazeem, the Director at the Directorate of Explosives Search and Disposal, Nigeria Army Engineers, and Coordinator of ‘EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP,’ made the shocking revelation during his first briefing on the exercise’s progress. He disclosed, “So far, a total of 93 unexploded ordnance have been recovered from the site.”
Despite previous efforts to clear and dispose of explosives in the area, reports of unexploded ordnance remnants have persisted, posing a considerable risk to the safety and security of the Cantonment’s inhabitants and the surrounding environment.
Colonel Kazeem emphasized the meticulous approach being taken to handle the situation, stating, “The moment we reach the maximum limits of explosives within our holding area, such ordnances will be moved to the range. If we reach the explosive limits today, I will move to the range today. We would not exceed a kilogram above the explosive limits because it is measured in kilogram. We wouldn’t cross that line. At 93, we have not yet reached the limits.”
Safety measures have also been rigorously implemented, as affirmed by Lt. Col Oluseyi Oladapo Bamikole, the Safety Officer. He assured that all necessary precautions have been taken to safeguard personnel, including providing adequate equipment, demarcations, and trained personnel for the identification and safe recovery of unexploded ordnance. The situation remains dynamic, and authorities are closely monitoring the exercise as it unfolds.
