A military mortar bomb which was hidden among the scrap in a truck detonated during the unloading process, causing the deadly explosion has killed five people at a scrap metal factory in Mariri, Kano State.
Kano State Police Command said the blast occurred when a group of labourers were offloading metal scrap from a truck, reportedly transported from Damaturu in Yobe State.
Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, who visited the blast site, said that emergency response teams swiftly evacuated the injured victims to nearby hospitals, where they are currently under intensive care.
Bakori stated that the Kano State Bomb Disposal Unit has since sealed off the site to prevent any further explosions and is leading a full-scale investigation to determine the origin and ownership of the lethal explosive device.
“We urge the public to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies as we investigate the exact cause of the explosion and track the source of the military-grade ordnance,” CP Bakori advised.
The sale and purchase of scrap metal is unregulated in Nigeria. Cross-border scrap shipments are common without any enforcement of safety protocols within industrial and trading sectors dealing with metal waste.
