Afikpo bomb blast: Police and Ebonyi government lied

Civil rights group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has called for independent forensic investigation into the reported grenade explosion in Afikpo, Ebonyi state right inside a secondary school field.

The rights group said it does not accept the official explanation given by the State Government and the contradictory explanation by the police on the same incident.

Whereas the Ebonyi State Government called it an accidental explosion of a grenade in the body of a police man that accidentally exploded but the Police called it a teargas canister that exploded.

Said HURIWA: “So, between the Ebonyi State Government and the Police Command in the State that gave contradictory explanations on the same matter, one of them or both is/are lying. This is because there is a wide chasm between a grenade and a teargas canister.

“This is because a teargas isn’t technically a ‘gas’ chatter; it’s a powder that is heated and mixed with a liquid or solvent and released from canisters as an aerosol. There are different types of teargas. The two commonly used by law enforcement are 2 – chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS) and chloroacetophenone (CN).

“Whereas a grenade is a small bomb thrown by hand or launched mechanically (according to Oxford dictionary), a grenade is a military grade weapon, says multiple security experts.

“We invite the world to see the lies in the two claims thus: The Ebonyi State Government had denied that there was a Suicide Bomber explosion in the state.

“The State Government has flayed the reports that a particular suicide bomber had detonated explosives attached to his body in the state.

“A statement by the Special Assistant to the Governor, Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, said the news is the handiwork of mischief makers, stating that the news is in sharp contrast to the reality as the incident was a grenade of a security personnel carrying out his duties at the said location that accidentally exploded.”

HURIWA said on the contrary and in direct opposition to the explanation by the police, this is what the Ebonyi State police Command claimed happened: “The Police Command in Ebonyi said there was no incident of suicide bombing in the state as being circulated in the social media.

“DSP Loveth Odeh, Command’s Public Relation Officer (PPRO) told journalists on Tuesday in Abakaliki that the pictures were not in connection with a suicide bomber.

“There is no bomb explosion in Ebonyi, but regrettably, one of our mobile police personnel attached to Afikpo on special duty was wounded by teargas.

“The officer mistakenly hit a teargas hung on his belt, and unfortunately, the device exploded and wounded him and he died.

“The lifeless body, the man in the picture is Inspector Idi Aminu, attached to 32 PMF Abakaliki but on special duty at Afikpo.

“So, there is no bomb blast or explosion in Ebonyi. The general public should disregard the information,” the PPRO said.

But the rights group said it wants the Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi and State Commissioner of Police to answer us because one of them or even the two of them have lied to us through their aides.

“Now, the bigger question is this: Assuming, without conceding that the policeman was carrying a grenade as we were told by the State Government, what is a lone, and indeed very low level policeman doing with a military grade weapon in a civilian populated area such as secondary school children? Is Afikpo in a state of war and is the school premises the theatre of war?

“Supposing we go by the line of the State Police Command that the policeman was carrying teargas canister that exploded and killed him, the question is, what was a policeman doing alone in a peaceful school environment with a teargas that exploded and killed him? Was there riot in that school environment that only him went to quell?

“Ebonyi State government and the State Command are twin evils and haven’t told Nigerians the whole truth and nothing but the truth and Nigerians should take their conclusion with a pinch of salt. We in HURIWA see the two accounts as very poor crafting of a badly delivered propaganda.

“So, millions of Nigerians that have rationality do not believe it. So, this is why we are calling for an independent investigation by forensic investigators.

“On our own, what happened looks like someone wants to bomb the school but the God of those school children that would have been bombed to death turned around and killed him instead. Nigerians await the real story,” the rights group said.