A military grenade explosion in the Idi-Araba area of Mushin, Lagos State, has claimed the life of a scavenger and left three others injured.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at Taiwo Street when the deceased attempted to cut into one of two grenades allegedly purchased as scrap metal.

Eyewitnesses said the device detonated inside the scrapyard, killing the man instantly and triggering a fire that sparked panic in the densely populated neighborhood.

“This happened yesterday at my community Idi-Araba, Mushin Lagos. They bought it as iron condemned when they brought it, they tried cutting into two but smoke started coming out and the thing exploded. It killed only one person and injured two. All of them are northerners,” a resident said.

The blast raised concerns among locals about how the explosive devices ended up in civilian hands, with many suspecting the grenades may have been stolen or picked from a military site. “How did a bomb get to the hand of a scavenger for God’s sake? The shrapnel should be preserved. I’m sure the DSS and the Army must be able to trace where it came from and apprehend the culprits,” another resident posted.

The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the incident, describing the explosion as accidental. According to police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin, a distress call was received at about 1:30 p.m. and officers from the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Command in Ikeja were deployed to the scene.

“On arrival, the team rendered the scene safe and cordoned it off. It was discovered that the explosion was as a result of military grade grenades tampered with by a scavenger who was trying to split one of the grenades,” Hundeyin said.

“As a result, he died on the spot while three others suffered injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The team secured evidential materials from the scene for further analysis and the corpse was deposited at the mortuary for autopsy. Investigation into the incident continues,” he added.