The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed that two persons died and three others sustained injuries following an explosion at a filling station in Daffo District, Bokkos Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent Alfred Alabo, the command said the incident was mistakenly circulated online as a bomb blast, but was in fact an industrial accident.
‘The Plateau State Police Command has been drawn to certain false, misleading and alarmist reports currently circulating, alleging that there was a bomb blast and outbreak of crisis in Plateau State’, the statement said, adding that the claims were ‘entirely false, unfounded and a deliberate misrepresentation of an unfortunate industrial accident’.
According to the police, the explosion occurred at Natty Petroleum Investment Nigeria Ltd while repair work was ongoing on an underground storage tank.
‘The Plateau State Police Command received a report of an explosion which occurred at Natty Petroleum Investment Nigeria Ltd, a filling station located in Daffo District, while welding repair works were being carried out by artisans’, the statement explained.
It added that the Commissioner of Police immediately ordered officers to the scene to manage the situation and ensure rescue efforts.
‘Upon receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police immediately directed the Divisional Police Officer to mobilise and lead a team of Policemen to the scene’, the command stated.
The police said victims were quickly evacuated for medical attention, while the deceased were taken to the morgue.
‘Our men swiftly evacuated the injured victims to Cottage Hospital, Bokkos, while the corpses of the deceased victims were deposited at the morgue’, the statement added.
To determine the cause of the explosion, the command said the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit was deployed.
‘As an additional measure… the Commissioner of Police further deployed the Command’s Explosive Ordnance Unit (EOD) aka Anti Bomb Squad to the scene’, it said, adding that findings showed it was not a terror-related incident.
‘Our investigation revealed that the incident was purely accidental and was not in any way connected to terrorism or IED explosion orchestrated by any person or group of persons’, the police stated.
The command confirmed that the explosion led to the death of two persons, including 24-year-old Emmanuel Mapak, while three others are receiving treatment for injuries.
‘Regrettably, the explosion led to the death of two persons, including one Emmanuel Mapak, 24 years, while three others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention’, it said.
The police warned residents against spreading unverified information, noting that such reports could cause panic and tension.
The command urged the public to rely only on official sources for information and assured residents of continued efforts to maintain peace and security in Plateau State.
