Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, has ordered a full investigation into the explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in Kaduna, assured that operations remain under control.
Matawalle, who visited the DICON facility in Kaduna, gave the order following an ordnance explosion that occurred on Saturday.
The incident, which took place in the morning hours, was confirmed to have happened while specialists were completing the destruction of expired materials such as ammonium nitrate, primer caps, propellants, and other hazardous substances.
According to a statement by the Ministry, speaking during his visit on Sunday, September 21, Matawalle described the explosion as an accident and assured that the situation was under control.
He noted that DICON, the country’s foremost defence manufacturing facility, continues to operate within established safety standards despite the incident.
The Minister also received briefings from officials at the scene on both the immediate cause of the explosion and the rapid response measures that followed.
He emphasized that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted to establish the exact cause and recommend stronger safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
“Appropriate support will be provided to affected personnel and their families,” Matawalle assured.
