Abuja, Nigeria — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has refuted claims by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that Monday’s explosion near the Mogadishu military barracks in Abuja was caused by a suicide bomber.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection tour of road projects scheduled for commissioning to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second year in office, Wike said briefings from security agencies contradicted NEMA’s account of the incident.
“The security never said it was a suicide bomber. So don’t go and create an impression and put fear in people. NEMA is not the head of security,” the minister stated.
Providing an alternative explanation, Wike said the explosion was caused by an individual who picked up explosives from a quarry site and unknowingly carried them in his pocket, leading to the blast.
“Some of them may not even understand the implication of that, and so it exploded on him,” he added.
NEMA had earlier attributed the explosion to a suicide attack, raising public concern. However, the minister’s comments suggest a possible case of accidental detonation involving quarry explosives rather than an act of terrorism.
