Panic griped residents of Upper Sakponba area of Edo state as Multiple bomb explosions Tuesday rocked buildings at the Oka primary school area around the popular ‘three house’ junction off Upper Sakponba road in Ikpoba Okha council of the state.
Four residential buildings were destroyed when the strange explosion occurred at about 2pm, although no life was lost in the ugly incident.
As at the time of filing this report operatives of Edo state anti-bomb squad and anti-riot policemen from the state police command led by a Deputy Commissioner of police, Musa Uba, have cordoned off the tension soaked area.
Our correspondent gathered that suspected kidnappers had lived in one of the affected buildings but left the house two years ago when soldiers on a tip off raided the complex.
At about 6:16pm another of the suspected bombs went off as the anti bomb squad were trying to detonate available ones discovered yesterday evening.
One of the occupants of the building and a woman who was passing by sustained serious injuries from the explosion.
It was further learnt that a man who gave his name as Elue Chinedu, a Chemist operator and an indigene of Delta state had rented the same building and wanted to burn some refuse gathered after he swept the rooms at a refuse dump sites when the explosion went off. .
Residents of the densely populated agrarian community fled to various directions as the strange explosion which reeked open roof tops of nearby buildings and had feared that it is an attack by suspected Boko Haram sect. .
A 70 year-old woman Mrs. Hannah Francis who claimed to be living directly oppose the scene of the bomb explosion said she had a deafening sound and had come out to find out what happened but discovered a thick dark smoke from the building.
Inside the building with major impact of the disaster, louvres, PVC ceilings, doors, alluminium roofs of the building, two borehole rubber tanks opposite area as well as the part of the front perimeter fence were shattered.
Narrating his ordeal Master Elue Chinedu who disclosed that he entered the compound about nine months ago stated that he had called in an electrician to do some minor repairs in his living room and while he was sweeping the compound and had lit the fire to burn the rubbish when the bombs went off.
Elue who also sustained injuries in the process said his co-tenants, a couple, were not in the house when the incident happened.
According to him, “My name is Elue Chindu, I am from Delta state. I stay in the house with on family and I have live in the compound for nine months, An electrician came to work in the house and I said let me use the opportunity to clean the compound. I gathered the waste papers together and wanted to burn it. As I was burning the papers I said let me go and buy ice cream; before the thing exploded and I sustained some injuries.”.
Police later took the victim to the state command for possible interrogation.
Efforts to get the comment of the state commissioner of police, Mr Chris Ezike ysterday evening were not successful.