KADUNA — A powerful explosion rocked the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) factory in Kaduna on Saturday morning, killing one person and leaving four others critically injured.
The incident occurred around 10 a.m. at the corporation’s ordnance disposal pit in Kurmin Gwari, Kaduna metropolis, and was linked to expired raw materials used in arms production.
Residents described the deafening blast as one that shook nearby buildings and spread panic across the community. “I heard a very big blast, it shook the surrounding buildings. People were running, thinking it was a bomb explosion,” a resident told our correspondent.
The victims, who were on weekend duty, were first taken to St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, Kakuri, before being transferred by military ambulance to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.
An eyewitness revealed that the explosion involved primer powder and other volatile substances. “It killed a military officer on the spot and injured four civilian staff, who are in critical condition,” he recounted.
When our correspondent visited St. Gerard shortly after the incident, sympathisers, relatives, and DICON staff were seen trooping in — some in tears.
Confirming the tragedy, DICON’s Public Relations Officer, Maria Sambo, explained that the blast occurred during the disposal of expired ordnance.
“Some old storage bunkers used to store raw materials contained several expired items, including Ammonium Nitrate, primer caps and propellants. Since July, efforts had been on to safely destroy them, and most had already been disposed of. Unfortunately, an accident occurred while specialists were concluding the disposal of the remaining materials,” she said.
Sambo added that the injured staff are receiving treatment at the 44 Army Reference Hospital, while the deceased’s remains have been deposited at the mortuary.
DICON assured residents that the situation is under control and there is no cause for panic. “The neighbouring community can go about their normal activities as the remaining materials have been made safe,” the statement read.
The management has also set up a Board of Inquiry to determine the immediate cause of the blast.
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