KIA ‘bomb scare’ incident: Five things we know, what we don’t know

The Ghana Airports Company Limited, GACL, on December 29, 2021, officially confirmed an incident at Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport, KIA, in Accra.

GACL gave some details of an incident that had earlier started gaining currency on social media as the case of a bomb blast at the arrival hall of the airport.

GhanaWeb looks briefly at five major outcomes that we know about the incident this far.

When the incident happened

The incident according to the GACL statement happened on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at around 9pm.

The bare facts of the case

The incident according to the statement involved an unattended bag that was sighted at the arrival hall of the KIA terminal.

“Management of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) can confirm that on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at around 9pm, an unattended bag was sighted at the arrival hall of Terminal 3, Kotoka International Airport,” relevant portions of the GACL statement read.

Role of the Military

Officials of the Ghana Armed Forces’ Base Ammunition Depot Unit were invited to deal with the bag in question. The bomb squad are said to have conducted preliminary assessment of the bag.

Photos from the scene

Photos shared by pro-government Asaase Radio showed the abandoned backpack on one of the seats in the hall.

A fully suited officer of the bomb squad and another military officer are also seen in one of the photos whiles another photo shows the opened bag displaying some contents.

There is also a photo shared by Joy FM in which a police officer is seen with a sniffer dog at the arrival hall.

FDA takes over

The GACL statement notes that after preliminary assessment, “the bag was subsequently taken away for further investigations.”

Asaase Radio reported that after the Base Ammunition Depot Unit of GAF opened the bag and assessed its content, “it has been sent to the FDA for lab evaluation.”

What we don’t know about the incident

The GACL statement notes that more information will be made available on the issue as and when available.

Among other questions begging for answers:

Has the owner of the said bag been identified?

When was the last time safety drills were run at the facility?

Earlier, several users on Twitter had shared a video showing what was claimed to have been a suspected bomb detonation at the airport.