By Louis Ibah
There was palpable fear yesterday morning at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as an unattended bag at the hajj and cargo area of the terminal caused bomb scare.
The bag, which was neatly tied was said to contain bomb, planted at the area where pilgrims process their travelling documents before being taken in a bus to the international airport for departure to Saudi Arabia.
A source close to the scene of the incident told aviation correspondents that the bag had been at the spot since Monday evening when some pilgrims from Lagos State arrived to process their travels.
It was learnt that the attention of the Bomb Disposal Unit of the airport was drawn to the bag, and its operatives brought sophisticated equipment to diffuse the alleged bomb.
The source said that the equipment used caused a heavy bang, which shattered the rooftop of one of the offices close to where the bag was and also created a big hole in the wall.
However, after blasting the bag, it was discovered that it contained booklets left over by the Lagos State Pilgrims Welfare Board.
The booklets, it was learnt, are distributed to pilgrims from the state, prior to their travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj exercise.
It was also learnt that the booklets were unused and ought to have been returned to the board by officials of the state but were left behind at the terminal.
The source said, “we all resumed for work this morning to find a bag, which was unattended to here. At first, we thought it belonged to one of the officials here but none claimed its ownership.
“You know, because of the security situation of the country, you can’t leave anything to chance. So, we had to call the security agencies to diffuse the content, but it was later discovered that the bag contained booklets by Lagos State officials.
“Unfortunately, it caused some damage to our building. However, it was good we made the attempt. You never can tell.”