Written by Ugochukwu Alaribe
UMUAHIA — After an item thought to be a bomb was found at the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia State, more than 100 people would have died.
Witnesses told Vanguard that while the churchgoers were excavating the area surrounding the parsonage for a new fence, they discovered a big metal item.
The priest in charge reportedly feared the weird thing was a bomb and advised them to avoid it when one of them brought it to the nearby water source.
Vanguard was also informed by a source that the responsible priest visited a military unit in the city, which prompted soldiers to storm the parsonage in order to remove the lethal item.
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“The state government is expanding the road that separates the church building and the parsonage,” an eyewitness stated. The church decided to remove the old fence and build a new one to make way for the new expansion of the road. It was while the church members were digging the ground for the new fence that they dug up the metal object which nobody realized was a bomb. The preacher eventually invited soldiers who evacuated the object.”
The structure and at least 100 people would have been destroyed because the area is constantly crowded with traders and bystanders, according to sympathizers who gathered at the scene and thanked God for the unexploded device.
When contacted, Rev. Thompson Ikpeoha, the secretary of the United Evangelical Church’s Aba Area Conference (UEC), acknowledged the occurrence and stated that the priest in charge of the Ehere/Umuola Church had not yet completely briefed him.
Efforts to contacts the Army Public Relations Officer,14 Brigade, Ohafia, was unsuccessful,as at the time of submitting this report.
A senior military commander in Aba did, however, acknowledge the occurrence and reveal that the inquiry had been taken over by Army headquarters.
