POLICE ARREST SUSPECT OVER BOMB SCARE AT BAYELSA SECRETARIAT
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
Police in Bayelsa State have arrested a suspect following a bomb scare at the State Secretariat complex in Yenagoa on Wednesday morning, which led to the evacuation of civil servants and visitors. The incident caused panic after a protester claimed explosives had been planted within the premises.
Security operatives swiftly moved in, cordoned off the area and conducted a thorough sweep. The Police Anti-Bomb Squad later confirmed that the device involved was a low-capacity explosive, identified as firecrackers, which posed no serious threat to lives or structures. No casualty or property damage was recorded.
The Bayelsa State Police Command said its Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit successfully contained the situation and rendered a second unexploded device safe. A 60-year-old suspect from Otuan community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area was arrested at the scene and is currently being interrogated, with plans to charge him to court.
Although calm has been restored, the Head of Service directed workers to suspend activities for the day as a precautionary safety measure.