By Sunday Nwakanma
Umuahia
The serene Sunny environment of Aba riverside area, in Abia state, was on Sunday morning disturbed following the discovery of what was thought to be an improvised explosive device (IED) at a church.
The discovery was made at a church, Royal Rock Church, in the premises of a school owned by Young Women Christian Association, close to Living Word Church, 118 River Layout, Aba.
This attracted scores of policemen and ant-bomb disposal unit of the Nigeria Police as well as a crowd of residents, numbering over 200, who thronged the place to see for themselves and for possible actions.
An eyewitness said the discovery was made at about 11.30 am, when most residents and others were in the church, by a member of the church who saw the suspected device dropped near a member’s parked car and raised alarm which attracted the policeman on duty.
The police officer, the eyewitness added, later reported the discovery to the “appropriate authorities” which immediately swarmed into the area in their numbers, thus raising the curiosity of worshippers and residents.
The street later became a beehive of curious onlookers, while the venue was immediately cordoned off after evacuating the church members.
In a telephone call put across to him, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abia state Command, Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the incident, saying that what was thought to be an IED was a fire extinguisher dropped close to a church by an unknown person.
