…Says suspect in Abuja explosion not suicide bomber

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday, said the briefing he has so far gotten did not suggest that the suspect in the explosion that occurred in front of the Mogadishu military barracks was caused by a suicide bomber.

Wike spoke when he was responding to questions from journalists during the inspection of some road projects lined up for commissioning to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second year in office.

The minister cautioned the media to be wary of what they report so as not to create unnecessary fear in the minds of residents.

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The minister said, ‘’The security never said it was a suicide bomber. So that you don’t go and create an impression and put fear in people. You should try to do what we call investigative journalism. NEMA is not the head of security. Security agencies are there.

‘‘What happened was that there was somebody who went to where we have these quarries, where they blast all these rocks. The person took the explosive and put it in his pocket. Of course, some of them may not even understand the implication of that, and so, it exploded on him.

‘‘So that does not mean that it is a suicide bomber. We should be careful in the story we are planting, and let’s not send the wrong message to the residents.’’

Daily Trust has reported an explosion near a checkpoint opposite the Mogadishu barracks in Abuja.

A man was reportedly killed during the incident, with people saying he was a suicide bomber.

The National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday said the explosion that occurred on Monday in Abuja was caused by a suicide bomber.

NEMA stated on its X handle that its team promptly responded to the incident upon receiving the alert.

Both the military and the police have yet to disclose the cause of the incident, saying investigation is ongoing.