Prof. Bala Yakubu, a renowned bomb disposal expert, has issued an urgent appeal to the Federal Government to immediately evacuate or destroy approximately 1,600 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) recovered from Nigerian-Biafran civil war battlefields.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, Yakubu warned that these deadly relics, currently housed at the Mine Action Centre in Owerri, Imo State, pose a severe threat to public safety.

He noted that while these weapons were recovered as far back as 2015, they remain undestroyed due to a lack of government commitment.

Yakubu’s company, Deminers Concept, was originally contracted during the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration to clear farmlands of explosive threats in former war zones across the Southeast, South-South, and parts of the North Central, specifically in states like Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, and Delta.

Despite clearing the areas, Yakubu revealed that successive administrations have failed to authorize the final destruction of the recovered bombs.

“We did not destroy them because there was no commitment from the government, in spite of our numerous letters drawing their attention to it,” he said.

Rising Casualties and Lethal Risks
The expert highlighted the human cost of this delay, revealing that a mortar bomb exploded in 2022, resulting in civilian casualties. To date, his firm has cleared: 17,632 remnants of locally fabricated weapons, including the infamous “Ogbunigwe” and “Ojukwu buckets.”

He added that 682 antipersonnel landmines and 143 anti vehicle mines had also been cleared.

“Those landmines are rusty and old, but they are still lethal today,” Yakubu emphasized, noting that Nigeria is a signatory to the UN convention requiring the clearance of such devices.

Yakubu stated that approximately 15% of marked locations in Imo State still require clearing. Additionally, several “knocked out” armored vehicles and “Biafran Red Devil” tanks remain on-site, intended for donation to the Army Museum.

The expert urged the Federal Government to settle outstanding payments and authorize the final disposal of these explosives to ensure that residents of the former war zones are finally free from the danger lurking beneath their soil.