6th January, 2011
Over 1000 people were hurriedly evacuated from the Motorways Complex at Old Tollgate, Lagos State, South West Nigeria when rumour of a bomb scare spread through the complex.
There was pandemonium as Lagosians working in the complex hurriedly scampered to safety. The building houses over 45 companies, including two banks. Commercial activities in the complex were paralysed.
The bomb scare episode was ignited following an anonymous note found in a toilet of one of the companies’ resident in the complex warning that a bomb would explode in the building in the next six hours.
Anti-bomb policemen, members of the State Security Services, SSS raced to the scene and immediate evacuated the remaining occupants of the building and sealed it up while effort to find where the supposed bomb was located proved abortive.
The rumour about the bomb had spread across the complex around 2.00 p.m on Thursday.
People intending to go into the premises to transact businesses were turned back as the complex was condoned off by the police.
A staff of Office of the Public Defender, OPD told PM NEWS that they were asked to leave the complex when the news of the rumoured bomb scare spread.
Another source stated that the anonymous note found in one of the toilets was signed by an unknown group which described itself as Concerned Nigerians, while calling for evacuation of everyone in the building.
The note, it was gathered did not specify where the bomb was planted. It only said that the explosive due to explode was planted in one of the offices.
Some of the workers were seen gathered in groups discussing the incident. While some doubted the authenticity of the note, others did not ignore the warning.
This is the second time in four days that rumours of bomb scare would spread in the Lagos metropolis after the Jos and Abuja bombing episodes.
Efforts to get to the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Lagos Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba to comment on the development proved abortive as calls to his handset were not picked.
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
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