Police Warn Of Explosive Devices, Radioactive Waste Littering Civilian Spaces In Kwara

NICHOLAS UWERUNONYE

The Kwara State Police Command has raised fresh concerns over the growing risks posed by explosive and radioactive materials unknowingly circulating in civilian environments, particularly within the state’s booming scrap and waste recycling sector.

In a sensitization campaign held in Ilorin on Thursday, the Nigeria Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal–Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD–CBRN) Base 11, under the Kwara State Command, trained members of the National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers on how to identify, handle, and report suspicious metallic objects that may contain explosives or radioactive substances.

Representing the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, the Divisional Police Officer of A Division, Ilorin, CSP Ade Olowo, cautioned scrap and waste handlers to exercise “utmost vigilance” in the course of their daily operations.

He warned that unexploded ordnance (UXO) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), sometimes disguised as metal scraps, could cause catastrophic loss of life and property if handled without professional care.

“Every piece of metal in your hands could be harmless—or deadly. Once you come across strange or sealed metallic items, don’t try to force them open. Report immediately to the nearest police station,” Olowo told participants.

The sensitization, which forms part of the Nigeria Police’s preventive security strategy, also highlighted the dangers of radioactive and chemical residues from old industrial and military materials, which sometimes find their way into the recycling chain.

Security experts have repeatedly warned that as urbanization and scrap trading expand, the chances of civilians encountering hazardous remnants of past conflicts or industrial waste increase significantly.

The campaign, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, aligns with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, who has made community partnership and preventive policing central to the Force’s security agenda.

“This engagement shows that safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Ejire-Adeyemi said in a statement.

“We urge members of the public—especially those dealing in metal scraps—to stay alert and report any suspicious objects or activities.

“The Command remains fully committed to the protection of lives and property,” he said.

The Kwara Police Command also released emergency contact numbers for reporting suspicious materials: 07032069501 for complaints and 08125275046 for emergencies.

Analysts note that the sensitization drive comes at a time when security agencies are increasingly confronted with the aftermath of abandoned explosives and industrial waste being resold as scrap, posing silent but deadly threats in many Nigerian communities.