A car exploded in front of the British High Commission in Maitama, Abuja, Wednesday, completely destroying the vehicle.

Eye witness, Mr Abdullahi Dahiru, said there was pandemonium in the area as people in the neighbourhood thought it was a bomb explosion.

“I heard a very loud noise and then many people screaming outside. I looked out my window and saw smoke, so I went out,” he said. “The care was on fire and a policeman helped the driver out unhurt.”

Mr Dahiru added that men from the fire service came about 15 minutes later to extinguish the fire.

 According to a witness, the charred car had the license plate of the ministry of labour and productivity. “The car got near the British High Commission and just caught fire; the driver jump out of it unhurt,” he said.

“Firefighters arrived early to quench the fire. I don’t think it was a bomb explosion because the car did not disintegrate. And there was no casualty.”

Another witness said the car “probably malfunctioned and burst into flames”.

“It was not a bomb attack, but the location where it occurred gives the suggestion that it was a bomb attack.”

The driver of the car was not at the site of the accident as at press time.

Public Relations Officer of the police in FCT, Emeka Onya confirmed the incident, but said it was not a bomb explosion. “There is no bomb explosion in Abuja,” he said. “If there was, we would already know.”

Abuja has witnessed three bomb blasts in three months. The first and second blasts occurred at Nyanya on 14 April and May 1 respectively, while the third blast occurred at Wuse 2, the heart of the city.