An explosion occurred on Thursday morning in Okene, Kogi State, in which no fewer than four persons are feared dead, according to a police report.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports the explosion occurred at about 9am, according to the Kogi State Police Command.
It occurred near the wall of the second gate of the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ibira on Kuroko Road, Okene.
A vehicle and two motorcycles were also burnt in the explosion.
An eyewitness said the bomb exploded from the affected vehicle and the motorcycles, killing the two cyclists instantly.
The bodies of the dead persons were at the scene of the explosion even as the security operatives sealed off the area.
An eyewitness said: “I was in the house when I had a loud explosion.
“By the time I came out, I saw a vehicle on fire burning along with two motorcycles close to the second gate of the Ohinoyi’s palace.
“The explosion was so massive as three bodies were on the ground around the palace.”
The witness expressed concern that the explosion occurred when President Muhammadu Buhari was expected to arrive in Okene to commission some legacy projects of Governor Yahaya Bello of the state.
Some of the projects to be commissioned include Reference Hospital, Confluence University of Technology, Ganaja Flyover and some road projects.
SP Williams Ovye-Aya, the spokesman, Kogi State Police Command, who confirmed the incident, described it as “very unfortunate” and “shocking”.
Ovye-Aya said that the police was on top of the situation as security operatives had already sealed off the area.
He said that investigation into the blast had begun.