* IGP Ibrahim Idris
It was fear galore at the Hajj and Cargo area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA),Lagos as an unattended bag containing left over booklets belonging to Lagos State mistaken to be bomb was diffused by men from the Bomb Disposal Unit .
Abelnewsng.com learnt that the bag,which was neatly packed was alleged to contain bomb, planted at the area, where pilgrims process their travelling documents before they nare taken in a bus to the international airport for departure to Saudi Arabia.
A source that witness the incident told Abelnewsng.com that the bag had been at the spot since Sunday evening when some pilgrims from Lagos and Ogun states arrived and processed their travels.
The platform further learnt that the attention of the Bomb Disposal Unit of Airport Police Command was drawn to the bag and that the Unit brought sophisticated equipment to diffuse the alleged bomb.
It also learnt that the equipment used by Policemen from this Unit caused a heavy bang and shattered the rooftop of one of the offices closed to where the bag was and also created a big hole on the wall.
Surprisingly, after the blasting the bag, it was discovered that the bag contained left over by the Lagos State Pilgrims and Welfare Board.
The booklets it was learnt were distributed to pilgrims from the state, prior to their travelling to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.
It was also gathered that the booklets were unused and ought to have been returned to the board by the officials of the state, but was left behind.
“We all resumed for woke this morning to find a bag, which was unattended to here. At first, we thought it belonged to one of the officials here, but none claimed it’s ownership.You know, because of the security situation of the country, you can’t leave anything to chances. So, we had to call the security agencies to diffuse the content, which later was discovered that the bag contained booklets by Lagos State officials. But, unfortunately it caused some damage to our building. However, it was good we made the attempt. You never can tell,” the source said.
Contacted the the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu,confirmed the bomb scare.
She also confirmed that the bag contain booklets left behind by some pilgrims processed at the terminal on Monday.
She promised to issue a press statement on the issue.
The Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Mr .Joseph Alabi could not be reach for Police official reaction on the incident.
