UPDATED: Police Foil IED Attack In Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command said its operatives on Wednesday foiled an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in the Ikeja area of the state.

Spokesman of the Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday via a virtual briefing.

He said a vigilant police officer reported around 4pm that while on his way along Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way ikeja, he sighted an unregistered white Corolla car parked on the main road close to the gate of the Police Mobile Force’s 23 Barracks in Ikeja.

The police officer also reported that a young man alighted from the car and carefully dropped a bag by the side of the fence of the Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit (FOU) in Ikeja before returning to the car and later zoomed off.

On getting to the scene, the Police imagemaker said the Police Anti-Explosives Unit discovered that the car had an IED in it, which was later recovered and detonated.

“Based on the report, a team of EOD-CBRN from the base was quickly mobilised to the scene to identify the object and render same safe if confirmed to be IED.

“On arrival, it was discovered to be IED. Subsequently, the area was cordoned off. SOP adopted IED rendered safe and thereafter taken to a safe distance for detonation,” SP Hundeyin said.

He added that the residual of the IED was collected for further analysis.

“This raises concern about mass gathering of people and safety issues in Lagos State,” Hundeyin said.

He added that efforts were underway by the Police to track the owner of the vehicle.