Police Dismiss Enugu Bomb Explosion at Holy Cross Catholic in Enugu

 

The Enugu State Police Command on Monday dismissed as false media reports of a bomb explosion in a Catholic Church in Enugu last Sunday.

Media checks showed that there was panic in Enugu as bomb explosion reportedly rocked the Holy Cross Catholic parish, Iji-Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area last Sunday.

The explosion was said to have occurred in the morning when worshipers were gathering for Sunday mass.

The parish priest in-charge of the church, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okwor, told journalists that the explosion occurred around 5:40 a.m. when he was preparing for 6:00 a.m. mass.

But in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebere Amaraizu, the command urged members of the public to go about their normal and lawful businesses, noting that analysis carried out by the command's Explosive Ordinance Department showed that the minor explosion had nothing to do with Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

According to it, "The Enugu State Police Command wishes to make it categorically to the members of the public that there was no bomb explosion at Holy Cross Catholic Parish at Iji Nike Abakpa, Enugu State on May 13 as being speculated, and that there was a report of alleged explosion in the church in the morning in which the commands Explosive Ordinance Department promptly attended to together with other security operatives of the command.

 "The command to this end, wishes to advise members of the public to go about their normal lawful businesses as analysis from the men of the Explosive Ordinance of the command revealed that it has got nothing to do with IED or it’s like but pyrotechnic which the perpetrator used to cause panic to church members.

  "The command further wishes to inform members of the public that there is no loss of lives, injury or damage to properties during the incident.

  "Meanwhile, the operatives of the Explosives Ordinance Department of the command have rendered the entire area safe just as a full scale investigations have commenced into the alleged incident."