The cleric said the device was unearthed last Friday while workers were digging a foundation for a new perimeter fence at the church parsonage.
Associate Pastor Eleazar Onyenweaku of the United Evangelical Church, Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, has accused the Abia State Police Command of issuing a false statement over the discovery of a dangerous explosive on church premises.
The cleric said the device was unearthed last Friday while workers were digging a foundation for a new perimeter fence at the church parsonage.
He added that the church had complied with the state government’s directive to adjust some structures for an ongoing road expansion project.
The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, had on Tuesday dismissed media reports of the incident, stating that no explosive was recovered.
But Pastor Onyenweaku questioned how the police reached that conclusion without visiting the site.
He explained that workers, digging carefully to avoid underground water pipes, discovered a metallic object buried less than a foot deep.
Initially mistaken for scrap metal, the item was later examined and identified as an explosive.
“Having lived in Northern Nigeria, where I had seen explosives before, I immediately recognised it. The safety ring was still intact,” he said.
The pastor said he quickly isolated the object near a plantain stand and, unable to contact military officers directly, took photographs to the Ndoki Primary School military base.
A military team, led by a captain, reportedly confirmed the device’s danger, evacuated it in a Hilux vehicle, and warned of possible additional explosives.
Pastor Onyenweaku noted that he approached the military first due to their expertise with explosives and dismissed suggestions that the device was a relic of the Nigerian Civil War, citing its relatively new appearance and lack of rust.
He called on Governor Alex Otti to order a thorough investigation and install full-premises scanning to reassure church members.
Church elders Andy Amadi and Obioma Adielle supported the pastor’s claims, insisting that the explosive was indeed found and urging a comprehensive probe.
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