…It’s 1 killed, others injured — DICON PRO
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
An explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) factory in Kaduna on Saturday left at least one person dead and several others injured.
While eyewitnesses claimed that two people were killed and four others injured, DICON authorities confirmed only one fatality.
In a statement signed by the corporation’s spokesperson, Maria Sambo, the incident occurred at the DICON Ordnance Factory disposal pit around 10 a.m. on September 20, 2025.
“An explosion occurred at DICON Ordnance Factory Disposal Pit, killing one person and injuring others,” the statement read.
The management attributed the blast to expired materials stored in old bunkers. According to the statement, these included large quantities of ammonium nitrate, primer caps, propellants, and other expired raw materials.
DICON explained that efforts had been ongoing since July 2025 to safely dispose of the items. Most of the ammonium nitrate and other materials had already been destroyed before the accident occurred.
“The unfortunate explosion happened while specialists were concluding the destruction of the remaining expired items,” the statement noted.
The injured staff are receiving treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna, while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary.
DICON commiserated with families of the victims and assured the public that the situation is under control. “The neighbouring community is assured that there is no cause for alarm. The remaining materials have been made safe,” it said, adding that a board of inquiry has been set up to determine the immediate cause of the blast.
Some sources told our correspondent that the incident may have started late Friday and continued into Saturday morning.
