Yola bomb blast ‘not by Boko Haram’

The blast that occurred in Yola, capital of Adamawa state, on Thursday was caused by a grenade belonging to the military, the police in the state said on Friday.

Briefing journalists in the state capital, Usman Audu, deputy commissioner of police, said that policemen had thought it was one of numerous Boko Haram attacks only fin out that it was a military hand grenade that exploded.

“The military grenade was picked from dustbin by some young boys who, I believe, were playing with it,” he said.

“In the process, one of them pulled the trigger and it started smoking. They threw it away but the blast injured one of the boys slightly on his left foot. The two boys are right now with us. The blast is not Boko Haram attack as being speculated.”

He urged parents to caution their wards against going about picking strange objects.

“I also want to appeal to the public, particularly operators of business premises, to always inspect their premises first thing in the morning. They should not hesitate to report any strange object sighted to the police,” he added.

Audu also confirmed the arrest of four suspected kidnappers believed to be behind recent disappearances of people in the state.