The Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba on Tuesday dismissed rumours of a bomb explosion at the EFAB mall located in the Lokogoma district of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Mr Mba explained that the incident, a minor fire outbreak started from a laundry shop in the premises and the explosion sound heard by witnesses resulted from an air conditioner compressor and not explosive devices.
“It is unfortunate that some people have gone to town to report that it was an explosion; it was a mere fire outbreak at a shopping complex in Lokogoma.
“Reports reaching us showed that the fire, triggered by an electrical fault, started from a laundry shop at the shopping complex.
“It was also said that part of the building was razed by the fire and the explosion.
“The big sound that caused the false alarm came from the compressor of the air conditioning system at the shop,”he said.
Mr Mba also said that no lives were lost in the incident except for the property contained in parts of the building razed by the fire.
He urged residents of the territory to disregard the rumour and move on with their legitimate businesses, assuring them of police’s readiness to protect their lives and property.
The police spokesman, however, advised property owners to always provide safety equipment in their buildings and to ensure strict adherence to safety precautions and to avoid similar occurrence in future.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness and owner of the laundry shop confirmed that all ten shops and some houses in the area were affected but maintained that no one is certain about the actual cause of the early morning explosion.
