What began as a typical Sunday afternoon near the bustling pedestrian bridge outside the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja quickly turned into a scene of chaos and speculation after an explosion rocked the area, killing one person and injuring two others.
While initial reports suggested the explosion could have resulted from a faulty battery, eyewitness accounts gathered contradict that story, pointing instead to what they describe as a suicide bombing attempt.
The explosion, which occurred at approximately 2:32 p.m., sent commuters and vendors in the area scrambling for safety. According to multiple witnesses, the victim an unidentified male had alighted from a Golf car a few metres from the main military checkpoint and proceeded on foot towards the cantonment.
“He looked suspicious the moment he came down,” said Musa Aliyu, a roadside vendor who operates near the bridge. “He wasn’t carrying any visible luggage, but he kept adjusting something around his body. When the soldier told him to stop and move back, he did, but then, within seconds, he exploded.”
Military police personnel stationed at the checkpoint also acted swiftly, suspecting something was amiss. Sources within the barracks confirmed that the man had refused to comply fully with the identification protocol, prompting one of the personnel to instruct him to step back.
“He didn’t make it past the checkpoint,” a security officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. “The explosion occurred while he was a few steps away. If he had gotten any closer, the casualties would have been far worse.”
The blast killed the suspect instantly and injured two passersby, both of whom were immediately evacuated to the Defence Medical Hospital (DMH) and are currently receiving treatment.
Shortly after the incident, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, along with personnel from the Nigeria Police, arrived at the scene, cordoned off the area, and began a thorough sweep for additional threats or evidence.
Credit : Zagazola Makama
