Nigeria police have allayed fears triggered by an abandoned bag at the American Embassy on Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, displaying content of the bag as medical tools.
Members of staff of the embassy, visa applicants and visitors, hurriedly left the premises for fear of being caught in any likely explosion.
In a swift response, a combined team of policemen from the Anti-Bomb Unit, Anti-Riot Police and Mobile Police Force cordoned off the area. Bomb experts, thereafter, detected the object of commotion— a bag which was kept in one of the vehicles at the Consul-General’s office.
Briefing newsmen on the bomb scare, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, categorically stated that no bomb was planted at the embassy as widely rumoured.
He said: “We got a call at about 7.40am this morning (yesterday) concerning the strange bag. I immediately dispatched the anti-bomb team, marine police and anti-terrorist personnel to the scene.
“The anti-bomb team professionally removed the bag from the vehicle. After scanning it, they discovered that all items inside were medical tools.
“We are, however, investigating the reason why the bag was left there and who the owner is. We do not want to leave anything to chance. We want to also allay the fears of people in Lagos and the diplomatic communities that there is no cause for alarm.”
