Abia Pastor Faults Nigerian Police, Insists Expl0sive Device Was Found In Aba Church
Abia Pastor Faults Nigerian Police, Insists Explosive Device Was Found In Aba Church
Pastor Onyenweaku insisted that a dangerous explosive device was uncovered last Friday during excavation work for a new perimeter fence around the church parsonage.
An associate pastor of the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, Eleazar Onyenweaku, has faulted the Abia State Police Command over its claim that no explosive device was found on the church premises, describing the police statement as “false and misleading.”
Pastor Onyenweaku insisted that a dangerous explosive device was uncovered last Friday during excavation work for a new perimeter fence around the church parsonage.
He spoke amid growing controversy following a statement by the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, who on Tuesday dismissed media reports of a bomb scare at the church, asserting that no bomb or explosive was recovered.
But the cleric said the police conclusion was puzzling, noting that no officer from the command visited the site before issuing the denial.
According to him, labourers digging a foundation—while taking care to avoid underground water pipes—unearthed a metallic object buried less than a foot beneath the soil.
He said the object was initially mistaken for scrap metal until the site engineer cleaned it and examined it closely.
“Having lived in Northern Nigeria where I had seen explosives before, I immediately recognised it. The safety ring was still intact,” Onyenweaku said.
He added that the object was immediately isolated near a plantain stand within the premises.
After failing to reach military contacts by phone, he said he rushed to the Ndoki Primary School military base with photographs of the device.
According to the pastor, a military team led by a captain later visited the church, confirmed that the object was a live and dangerous explosive, evacuated it in a Hilux vehicle, and warned that there could be other buried devices in the area.
He explained that he chose to alert the military rather than the police because of the army’s technical expertise in handling explosives.
Onyenweaku also rejected claims that the device might be a remnant of the Nigerian Civil War, arguing that its appearance suggested otherwise.
“It was not rusty. It looked relatively new,” he said.
The pastor further clarified that the church had complied with directives from the Abia State Government to adjust some structures backward as part of an ongoing road expansion project in the area.
While stopping short of accusing any individual or group, he appealed to Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to order a thorough investigation into the incident.
He also called for a comprehensive security scan of the church premises to allay fears among congregants.
Some elders of the church, including Andy Amadi and Obioma Adielle, also corroborated the pastor’s account, insisting that an explosive device was indeed found on the premises and removed by the military.
They urged the state government and security agencies to take the matter seriously and ensure a transparent investigation to determine how the device came to be buried within the church grounds.
Credit/ Sahara Reporter
