21 years after the unfortunate 2002 bomb blast which occurred at the Ikeja Cantonment Lagos, the Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) inaugurated EXERCISE CLEAN SWEEP" to clear Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site which occurred then at the Nigerian Army Cantonment located at Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos
Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu revealed this in a press statement only Tuesday that the Army Chief while speaking during the flag off ceremony, said that the objective of the exercise is to completely disinfect the epicenter of the Ikeja bomb blast and clear it of all verified and suspected remaining Unexploded Explosive Ordnances lying around the cantonment.
He pointed out that initial clearance operations ensured some degree of safety in the Cantonment and its environ, adding that the recent discovery of some Unexploded Explosive Ordnances at the site of the blast raised the need for the Nigerian Army to carry out a follow-up clearance exercise in the Cantonment and its environ.
Noting that the exercise will be conducted for 61 days, the COAS enjoined members of the public, particularly those in Lagos and Ogun states not to panic on sighting the movement of special military vehicles and hearing the sound of explosion during the conduct of the exercise.
He assured that appropriate safety and security measures have been emplaced to guarantee an accident free exercise.
He disclosed further that in compliance with global best practice, all relevant emergency and response agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, State Emergency Management Agency and the Medics will work in synergy to ensure successful completion of the exercise.
Gen Lagbaja expressed appreciation to the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unflinching support to the Nigerian Army in pursuit of its constitutional responsibilities. He assured that never again will such unfortunate incident be allowed in Nigerian Army Cantonments.
