Normalcy returns as Police anti-bomb unit sweep IEDs off Niger hospital

File Copy: Police Public Relations Officer,  Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun

The Niger State Police Command said normalcy has returned to the state’s General Hospital after an Improvised Explosive Device IED was removed from the hospital.

A private security officer discovered the IED on the floor of the hospital on Thursday last weekend and immediately alerted operatives of the conventional police, who invited members of the police anti-bomb unit to defuse and remove the bomb from the hospital’s premises.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a WhatsApp message and said normalcy has returned to the hospital.

The IED was discovered on the floor of the Borgu, New Bussa General Hospital by a private security officer who immediately alerted the operatives of the Niger State Police Command.

The discovery of the explosive device had caused panic in the hospital as patients, visitors and the hospital staff ran helter-skelter in panic

A source told Arewa PUNCH that the security personnel spotted the explosive device in the hospital and immediately alerted conventional security operatives who confirmed it to be an explosive device.

The source, who did not disclose his identity because he was not permitted to speak to the media on the issue, told Arewa PUNCH on condition of anonymity that the discovery created panic in the hospital, making the hospital officials and visitors run in fright.

Experts from the bomb disposal unit of the Nigerian police were invited to the scene and they successfully diffused the device before taking it away.

• Probe begins as 40 miners die in NSCDC detention
• NSCDC probes deaths of suspected illegal miners in Niger
• 33 illegal miners feared dead in Niger

The source disclosed further that police and military operatives were later deployed to the hospital to beef up security and restrict people’s movement within the hospital.

“Soldiers and police operatives are everywhere moving around the hospital. Only patients and one or two of their relatives are allowed into the hospital now. The general public is not allowed in,” the source said.

Abiodun told Arewa PUNCH that the bomb disposal experts removed the IED and the police swept the premises of the hospital and brought back normalcy to the hospital.

“On 9th September 2026 at about 11.20 am, information was received that a suspected IED was found planted by an unknown person within the premises of General Hospital, New Bussa,

“Police EOD operatives were immediately drafted to the scene, rendered the IED safe, swept the premises and the exhibit was taken into custody for further necessary action.

“However, the situation was brought under control, security around the hospital was beefed up, and normalcy was restored,” he said.

It would be recalled that over 500 residents of Borgu town, including worshippers, were abducted from the local government area in August and are still languishing in the kidnappers’ den for more than three weeks after they were abducted by the terrorists.

An unconfirmed source told Arewa PUNCH that the terrorists have planted IEDs along the road to the forest where the abducted residents are being held to prevent the military and other security agencies from storming the forest.