My Neighborhood Watch #136 - Reporting Events Around us||Over 100 lives would have been lost in if the suspected bomb discovered in my church fence exploded

Over 100 lives would have been lost if the suspected bomb discovered in my church fence exploded

Mounting insecurity in the society is now making people to be more conscious of the environment. People are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed. Security apparatus are becoming more stretched and now making it difficult to combat the current level insecurity.

There was a heightened tension around my church and environs at ogborhill Aba, where a an object suspected to be an improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered. The device was discovered during the reconstruction of the church fence.

According to eyewitnesses, they informed the news men that came around that, the members of the church were digging the foundation for the perimeter fencing in their passonage and found the suspected IED beneath the earth. They were removing the old fence to build a new fence because the government has warned them to do so. This is expand the road to accommodate more vehicles and road users.

As the workers were digging, they discovered a heavy and strange metal in the ground. One of the workers carried to wash it in order to really examine the object. On seeing it the pastor in charge of the church quickly observed that it might be an explosive device and warned everyone to keep away.

After some thorough look on the object, the pastor alerted the military in Aba. The military personnel came immediately arrived and took coverage of the area. They safely evacuated the suspected device.

As the device has been removed from the area, questions about how the device was planted is still going in the minds of the residents. Could it be an aftermath of the civil war, or a target to destroy the congregation? As the questions are being asked, the military has not made any official statement on what they discovered and evacuated.

But on the other hand, the police has made its position about the suspected bomb device known to the public. The authority informed the public that the object found in the church premises is not an explosive device. That the residents should go about their business without panic. This statement did not go down well with the residents as it is contradictory to the resident pastor and the congregation.

The resident pastor with name withheld, insinuated that the object is an explosive device say that the police didn't carry out any form of investigation before arriving at their conclusion.

People gathered around the scene and thanked God, saying that the device, if indeed is a bomb, could have caused a costly damage. In their estimation, they say that over 100 people, including other surrounding buildings and structures, might have been killed or destroyed, as the area is always with traders buying and selling, , passersby, and having regular church activities.

Since the military evacuated the device, efforts to reach out to has been unsuccessful as their spokesman could not be reached.

However, one of the top military officers in Aba verified the scary event and said that military headquarters is now in control of the investigation to determine the object's nature, origin, and how it came to be buried at the premises.

This scary event has sparked tension in the community concerning potential security risks from buried explosives, which may possibly be the remains of past conflicts or deliberate placement. We are waiting for the Authorities to disclose further details on the object's composition or any leads in the probe.

There is now serious checks been carried on worshippers and non worshippers alike who wants to gain entry into the church premises. This checks would continue until the relevant concerned authorities assures our safety.

I would be inviting the following persons to participate in this contest:
@dlike
@emacoz
@mini80