Explosion kills 2 at Gombe governor’s residence

An armoured tank has exploded in front of the residence of the governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, in the state capital.

A senior security source told TheCable that the explosion occurred at exactly 6.38pm.

He said two persons died instantly, and another source said six other persons were injured.

The explosion, however, is  not suspected to be linked to Boko Haram.

“The armoured tank, we suspect, became too hot because of the weather condition,” an aide to the governor said.

“We think that was what led to the explosion. We suspect that the cooling system malfunctioned.”

Unfortunately, he said, sensitive ammunition (such as grenade) is kept in the tank and this might have worsened the situation.

“The two people that died were inside the vehicle. They could not escape,” he added.

Rumours that an attack was targeted at the governor and his family were immediately dismissed.

“Given the circumstances, those rumours are better ignored,” the governor’s aide said.