The Borno State Police Command has announced the recovery of eight unexploded ordnances from the Dala and Gwange areas of Maiduguri, the state capital. The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Grace Michael, confirmed the operation in a statement issued on Saturday.
The discovery began on November 22, 2024, when a distress call alerted authorities to the presence of suspicious objects near an uncompleted building in Dala-Abuja Talakawa Area. The Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) unit responded promptly, recovering six projectiles and one unexploded mortar bomb from the site.
Later the same day, another report from the Gwange area led to the recovery of an unexploded hand grenade found washed ashore along the Gwange riverbank.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the ordnances were displaced and carried into residential areas by the severe floods that recently devastated Maiduguri. In September, reports confirmed that nearly one million people were affected by the flooding, with over 414,000 displaced and 30 fatalities recorded.
Reassuring the public, Borno State Commissioner of Police, CP Yusufu Lawal, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to public safety and urged residents to promptly report suspicious objects to law enforcement.
The incidents highlight the continued risks posed by unexploded ordnances in conflict-affected areas, particularly during extreme weather events such as flooding.
