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As members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) warm up for a second strike in Kaduna State, the Nigerian military has warned that bombs stored in strategic locations could explode if starved of electricity needed to keep them under control.
Sources told Daily Sun that the stockpile came close to detonating during the two-day NLC strike last month in Kaduna, the hub of Nigeria’s military hardware.
It was gathered that bombs are stored in specially-designed compartments under a specific temperature provided by industrial air conditioners.
To guarantee safety and security of military equipment and facilities, armed forces formations are hooked on dedicated power lines in addition to standby generators. This ensures that sensitive military hardware and software are insulated from power-related catastrophes.
Daily Sun gathered that military officers in Kaduna are particularly enraged because despite informing the NLC of the national security implications of shutting down electricity in Kaduna, the union defiantly cut off power and grounded the state for two days.
However, the military restrained itself from taking over facilities of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) or arresting NLC members during because they did not secure the approval to do so.
“The danger of a repeat in Kaduna of the explosions of the bomb stockpiles at the Ikeja Cantonment in 2002 is one of the many disclosures in reports that have been submitted to the Presidency on the matter. These include how Joe Ajaero of the electricity workers’ union threatened to put the entire country in darkness if power was restored in Kaduna during the strike,” a source said.
It was also gathered that Kaduna Governor, Nasir el-Rufai has written to President Muhammadu Buhari highlighting the inherent risks of not protecting critical national assets like TCN facilities and the brazen disregard of the NLC to laws that outlaw the disruption of essential services under any guise.
Daily Sun learnt that during the recent NLC strike in Kaduna, military officers raced against time and improvised ways to keep the bombs safe and calm.
Daily Sun reliably gathered that munitions storage bunkers are designed to securely store explosive ordnance and contain any internal explosions.
“The president is expected to convey to the leadership of the NLC, in very strong terms, that under no circumstances will tampering with critical National assets be acceptable to the government”, the source stated.
On January 27, 2002, the munitions depot of the Nigerian Army at the Ikeja Cantonment in Lagos detonated and threw Lagos into chaos.
Over 1,000 persons lost their lives in the ensuing stampede as many fled from what they thought was a terrorist attack. The blast leveled an area of several square blocks. The explosion shook Lagos State to its foundation, with the tremors leading to the collapse of buildings that were 30 miles away from the epiccenter. Over 12,000 became instant refugees with no roof over their heads as their abodes were blown away.
During the General Ibrahim Babangida regime, 11 leaders of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers were tried and jailed for economic sabotage. They regained freedom in 1990 following torrents of pleas from offshore and onshore pressure groups.
The NLC, at the weekend, petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging a breach of the agreement it signed with the Kaduna State government to end its two-day warning strike in May.
The union accused government of exhibiting a notorious disregard to a sealed pact by going ahead to sack workers, a development that rubbishes the resolution of the meeting brokered by the Federal Government through the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
The petition, signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba read in part: “Your Excellency, Mr. President, may recall that the first conciliatory meeting between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government took place on May 20, 2021.
“A major outcome of that meeting was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Kaduna State Government.”
