Police in Ebonyi have debunked reports that the man killed in an explosion yesterday in Afikpo area of the state was a suicide bomber.
Spokesperson Loveth Odah said the victim of the blast was a police inspector on duty in the area.
She said the deceased, Idi Aminu, a riot police officer, died as a result of accidental grenade explosion.
The incident occurred about midday opposite Amaizi Amangbala Primary School.
Residents said he was a suicide bomber trying to enter the primary school.
“He mistakenly hit the head of his grenade which was hanging on his waist with his elbow, resulting in the deadly explosion,” she said, stressing that the officer was not a suicide bomber as was bandied about in the social media.
Odah said his remains had been evacuated to a mortuary.
Residents had a different take on the incident.
“He made an attempt to enter Amaizu Amangbala Primary School but was turned back by the school security since he couldn’t justify the visit. He immediately started running toward a nearby bush before a big bang was heard,” a source said.
He said residents scampered for safety when the bomb exploded but reconvened at the scene a few minutes after, only to see the suspected suicide bomber lying dead in a pool of blood.
“There is tension in the community, he said.
Source: The Nation News