An object resembling a bomb was discovered near the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
In the early hours of Tuesday, there was panic in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, after a loud explosion was heard around the town's ever-busy post office area, sending residents fleeing for safety.
According to reports, the bomb explosion occurred near the offices of the Secretary to the Kogi State Government, the Ministry of Women Affairs, and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs.
The explosion, which sent workers and many residents fleeing for safety, occurred around 8.30 a.m., just as workers were returning to their various offices and shop owners were setting up for the day's business.
It was learnt that an object resembling a bomb was spotted near the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which houses the offices of the secretary to the state government and the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as the recently completed Muhammadu Buhari event center, which is awaiting Commission at the far opposite.
The incident was confirmed by the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Egbuka, when contacted.
"Yes, what happened was that we were informed of a package that looked like a bomb, left on the premises; and I immediately deployed the bomb disposal unit there to assess the object," he explained. The object was immediately blown up, and the explosion you heard was caused by our bomb disposal unit's efforts to blow up the object."
However, he stated that an investigation has begun to determine the nature of the object in order to determine the reason for its presence in the areas.