Image of the DICON building

The Federal Government has constituted a committee to investigate the recent explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) complex in Kaduna State.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday at the Ordnance Factory Disposal Pit, sparked concern across the country. While the official report confirmed one death, unconfirmed accounts indicated up to four fatalities, with several others sustaining varying degrees of injury.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, the Managing Director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited and former Head of Security at the Senate, Mr Kabir Adamu, described the incident as “worrisome”.

“The explosion was worrisome. The President visited Kaduna, and the next thing we heard was that there was an explosion after he left. So, the first thing that came to my mind was whether it was sabotage or a security threat,” he said.

Adamu, however, clarified that there was “no indication that it was a sabotage,” noting that the government’s quick response was commendable. “With time, we got to know that the fatality level was low. For now, there is no indication that it was a sabotage, and the way the government responded was quite commendable,” he added.

He disclosed that the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, had visited the facility to assess the situation, stressing that “A committee has been set up to investigate what happened.”

In a statement, the Public Relations Officer of DICON, Maria Sambo, explained that the explosion happened during the final phase of controlled destruction of expired explosives and hazardous materials stored at the factory.

“Some old storage bunkers used to store raw materials for production contained several expired items which had exceeded their lifespans, including a large quantity of ammonia nitrates, primer caps, propellants, and others,” she said.

Adamu faulted the weak safety procedures at the facility, arguing that “the explosion could have been prevented. But as we know, these are materials that are components for assembling different types of weaponry.”

He also tied the incident to increased activity at the plant under the government’s arms production drive. “One of the policies of this administration is to enhance and increase our capacity for local production of weapons. That means DICON has seen more activities than it used to in the past,” he noted.

While recalling the Ikeja Cantonment explosion that claimed many lives two decades ago, Adamu urged Nigerians not to rush to conclusions.