Police Declared Wounded Persons, Suspects

The Rivers State Police Command has ordered the detention of
any person wounded by the explosion yesterday at Rumuokoro in Obio/Akpor Local
Government of Rivers State.

The order became necessary because according to the police
only occupants of the bus were believed to have been wounded or  killed.

The state police commissioner, Indabawa Mohammed explained
that investigations have confirmed that the explosion was not a bomb but
dynamite stocked in the bus with other fire arms and ammunition which suddenly
exploded on account of excess heat.

He assured the general public of safety of lives and
property saying that every effort is being made to ensure that the wounded
suspects help the police in unraveling all other details.

While saying that four AK 47 and other explosive weapons
were recovered from the exploded vehicle, the commissioner of Police advised
the people of the state to stop spreading the rumour that what happened was a
bomb blast, and urged them to go about their normal duties.

When The Tide visited the scene of the explosion, the ever
busy Rumuokoro road seemed deserted by motorists and other road users.

An eye witness, Mrs Ebere Ikpandu told The Tide reporter
that when the explosion occurred everybody scampered into safety and chose to
observed the scene from a distance.

‘My brother, you know how the security of the country is
now, so when we heard the sound of the blast, people thought it was Boko Haram,
but actually it was not so, she said.

In their separate views, the director of Emergency,
Ministry of Special Duties, Mrs Nwokocha and a staff of National Emergency and
Relief Agency, Mr Edudagi Herick described the blast as very unfortunate,
however, debunked the rumours that what happened was a bomb blast.