One Person Confirmed Dead, Four Others Injured as Explosion Rocks DICON’s Ordnance Factory in Kaduna

*DHQ confirms incident, condoles victims’ families

 John Shiklam in Kaduna and Linus Aleke in Abuja

One person has been confirmed dead following yesterday’s explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in Kaduna.

Several other staff members sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the incident and extended its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and wished a swift recovery to those injured.

The Public Relations Officer of DICON, Maria Sambo, also confirmed the incident in a statement issued yesterday.
According to her, the explosion occurred around 10am at the corporation’s ordnance factory disposal pit, where expired explosive materials were being destroyed.

The statement quoted the Director General of DICON, Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, as saying that a Board of Inquiry has been constituted to determine the immediate cause of the unfortunate incident.
“On Saturday, September 20, 2025, at about 10 am, an explosion occurred at DICON Ordnance Factory Disposal pit, killing one person and injuring others.

“Some old storage bunkers used to store raw materials for production contained several expired materials for production which have exceeded their lifespans, including a large quantity of Ammonia Nitrates, Primer Caps, Propellants and others.”

The statement explained that DICON had commenced the controlled disposal of the expired materials in July 2025 and had already safely destroyed the Ammonia Nitrates and most of the other items.

“However, the unfortunate accident of the explosion occurred while specialists were concluding the destruction of the remaining quantity of the expired items at the disposal pit on Saturday, September 20, 2025.”
According to her, the injured DICON staff were receiving treatment at 44 Nigerian Army Referral Hospital, Kaduna, while the body of the deceased personnel has been deposited at the mortuary.”
The statement extended condolences to the family and friends of the deceased staff, and wished the injured speedy recovery.

It also assured the public that the situation is under control, adding that there is no cause for alarm.
“The neighbouring community is assured that DICON, as a responsible professional organisation, has institutionalised operational safety to the highest level, and they can go about their normal business. The remaining materials have been made safe,” the statement added.
Sambo said a board of inquiry has been set up to determine the immediate cause of the incident.

Meanwhile, in a statement signed by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the military also confirmed that the incident tragically resulted in one fatality and injuries to several other personnel.

Gusau further revealed that the injured personnel were receiving medical treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.

The statement added that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, extended his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and wished a swift recovery to those injured.

“The surrounding community has been reassured that DICON maintains strict operational safety standards. The corporation remains committed to upholding safety protocols and will conduct a thorough investigation to prevent future incidents,” the statement added.