The Police Command in Niger has recovered a suspected military unexploded ordnance (UXO) device in Zugurma community, Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
The command Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement in Minna on Tuesday.
He said the recovery followed a report received on Monday from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ibbi Division, Mashegu.
He added that some residents of the community had sighted an object suspected to be a missile in a forest within the area.
Abiodun said police operatives from the division promptly moved to the scene and cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of residents.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adamu Elleman, directed the deployment of personnel to the scene.
The command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal–Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) unit, led by CSP Mohammed Mamun, were on location by Tuesday.
Operatives of the division, alongside community members, guided the team to the exact spot where the object was found.
“The EOD team rendered the device safe and recovered it into custody before its onward movement to the State Police Headquarters in Minna,” Abiodun said.
The device was identified as a UXO missile or military unexploded ordnance, though its source has yet to be ascertained.
Further investigation into the matter is ongoing, with the police assuring that additional updates would be made public in due course.
The Commissioner of Police urged members of the public to remain calm, stressing that security agencies were on hand to ensure safety and restore normalcy in the effected and surrounding areas
