The Niger State police command has discovered a bomb manufacturing factory in Maitunmbi area of Minna, the Niger state capital believed to belong to the dreaded radical Boko Haram sect
Acting on the tip-off by one of the five suspects in regard to the killing of three Policemen in two separate operations in the Minna last week, a team of armed plain cloth men stormed the sect’s bomb factory located behind a popular private school in the area at about 8:30pm on Saturday.
Item recovered during the raid which lasted about two hours included two 1.5gms gas cylinder cans already prepared for explosion.
Other lethal weapons found in the house include about 30 cans of disposable food beverage and soft drinks also stockpiled with explosives, 25 kilograms of fertiliser, batteries, remote control devices and other electrical gadgets.
An officer in the team that raided the bomb factory who spoke in confidence to Channels Television in Minna explained that the operation lasted for about two hours.
”We took our time before we stormed the bomb factory. We did not want to cause any chaos in the area and in the town. We also want to avoid any loss of lives and this we were able to achieve,” he said.
Efforts to get the residents of the sleepy town to speak to Channels Television failed as all the people approached refused to divulge any information about the house and its occupant.
When contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, Pius Edobo refused to speak on the raid, but promised to give full details later.
