The General Manager of Beacon Security and Intelligence, Kabir Adamu, has dismissed claims of sabotage in last week’s explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), attributing the incident to safety lapses.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Adamu said preliminary findings indicated the blast was caused by mishandling of expired weapon components rather than deliberate destruction.
“From all indications, what happened was not sabotage but a safety explosion. The number of fatalities was low, and I like the way the state handled it,” he said.
The security expert explained that the explosion occurred in a decomposition pit where obsolete materials were being decommissioned. He noted that while the incident was regrettable, it highlighted the risks inherent in ammunition and explosives management.
“What happened could have been prevented, but these are components for assembling different kinds of weapons, including ammonium nitrates,” he said.
Adamu linked the accident to rising production activities at DICON, driven by the federal government’s push to expand local arms manufacturing. He commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for increasing domestic production by about 40 percent, describing it as a step toward self-sufficiency and possible exports.
“Some of us have commended President Tinubu for increasing our production of weaponry by 40 percent so that the money used for importation will go into something else, and we can start selling to other countries—some nations are already indicating interest,” he said.
He, however, stressed the need for strict safety and disposal protocols to match the expansion, warning that increased capacity also comes with heightened risks.
Adamu urged Nigerians to await the findings of the investigative panel set up to probe the incident before drawing conclusions.
Authorities had earlier clarified that the Kaduna explosion was an internal safety incident, following initial fears of sabotage or terrorism.
