ABIA: Police Dismiss Pastor’s Claim About Explosives Found In Church

The Abia State Police Command has reacted to a statement credited to the Associate Pastor of the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, which has been trending online, alleging that the command lied in its earlier clarification over the reported recovery of an explosive device at the church.

In a late Wednesday rejoinder by the Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, through the Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, the command maintained its position that no bomb or explosive was recovered from the church premises.

It would be recalled that following the Abia State Police Command’s clarification on Tuesday that no bomb or explosive was recovered from the premises of the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, the Associate Pastor of the church, Eleazar Onyenweaku, faulted the police position.

The pastor described the police claim as false and called for a thorough, independent investigation into the matter.

Onyenweaku insisted that a dangerous explosive device was exhumed from shallow soil on Friday while labourers were digging the foundation for a new perimeter fence around the church parsonage. He said the work was in compliance with a government directive to set back structures for an ongoing road expansion project in the area.

He expressed disbelief at the police’s conclusion, questioning how it was reached without officers visiting the site.

He said, “Workers, digging carefully to avoid underground water pipes, uncovered a metallic object buried less than a foot deep. Initially mistaken for scrap metal, it was examined more closely after the site engineer cleaned it.

“Having lived in Northern Nigeria, where I had seen explosives before, I immediately recognised it. The safety ring was still intact.”

He said the object was isolated near a plantain stand and that, after failing to reach military contacts directly, he rushed to the Ndoki Primary School military base with photographs.

Onyenweaku said a team led by an Army captain responded, confirmed the dangerous nature of the item, evacuated it in a Hilux vehicle, and warned that there could be additional devices buried in the area.

Explaining his decision to approach the military first, the pastor cited their expertise in handling explosives over police resources. He also rejected suggestions that the device was a relic of the Nigerian Civil War, noting its lack of rust and relatively new appearance.

The pastor said there had been no recent conflicts in the area to warrant the presence of an explosive device. He appealed to Governor Alex Otti to intervene by ordering a full scan of the premises and increasing security to allay fears among congregants and residents.

Elder Andy Amadi and Deacon Obioma Adiele, who aligned with the pastor’s account, said operatives of the Department of State Services from Umuahia also visited the site for preliminary inquiries and urged the government not to downplay the incident.

Faulting the claims by the associate pastor, the police command said he was “not an expert or a trained specialist in bomb detection to educate the public on what constitutes a bomb or explosive device.”

The commissioner explained that the Divisional Police Officer, Ogbor Hill Division, acting on actionable intelligence, visited the area and met a man identified as Mr Ezumini, who introduced himself as a member of the United Evangelical Church.

According to Isa, the man told the DPO that what was removed by the military was an iron rod, which formed part of the church’s pillars, removed in compliance with the directive to set back structures for the ongoing road construction.

The CP said the DPO conducted a thorough search of the area and found nothing related to any bomb or explosive. He added that the Area Commander, accompanied by personnel of the Explosive Ordnance Department, later inspected the vicinity and also found nothing.

“It is also a fact that the police is yet to be formally informed of any alleged recovery”, the statement said.

Isa further explained that officers of the Explosive Ordnance Department of the Abia State Police Command were immediately deployed to comb the area to guarantee the safety of lives and property.

The commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to its constitutional mandate of protecting lives and property, noting that the police remain accessible to members of the public for collaboration on security matters, and encouraged residents to go about their lawful activities.