The Cross River Police Command has given details of the explosion that occurred early this morning at the Cross River State Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Calabar.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Hogan Bassey, said in a statement that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was exploded by “hoodlums who were unable to penetrate the heavily fortified PDP Secretariat.”

According to him, “Early today, 24th November at about 0535 hours, hoodlums who were unable to penetrate the heavily fortified secretariat by officers and men of the Command, threw an explosive device from behind the premises into the building.

“The explosion only shattered some louvres on the ground floor. No life was lost nor anybody sustain injury. The Police anti-bomb Squad has cordoned off the area.”

Eye-witnesses, however, told journalists that the explosion rocked several buildings in the vicinity of the party secretariat on Murtala Mohammed High Way, Calabar.

Heavy presence of armed policemen and soldiers was noticed at the scene of the incident Monday.

A resident of one of the houses close to the PDP secretariat where the incident occurred said that his house rocked when the explosion occurred.

“I heard a loud bang and everywhere started shaking. I thought the house was going to collapse,” he said.

At another compound sharing a perimeter fence with the secretariat, had several glass doors and windows shattered.

The state PDP Chairman, Mr John Okon, who also spoke on the incident, said the party secretariat would no longer be used for the ward congress slated for the day.

His words: “I understand they threw in a bomb or dynamite or something. The police are there and the anti-bomb squad are on the way.

“We will not be able to use the secretariat for the ward congresses. We would be using the Presidential Lodge.

“All the electoral officers are collecting their materials and going to the field. The windows and other things inside the office were destroyed.”

•Adapted From a Vanguard report. Photo shows Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke.

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