Two children were killed and six others injured after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources from the town told our correspondent that the explosion occurred in Kofa Biyu, Konduga LGA.
“Yes, the children, who were unaware of the danger, brought the explosive into town as scrap metal. Two of them died instantly,” a resident said.
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The spokesman of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, who confirmed the death of one person, said the incident occurred on Sunday around 5pm.
“We were informed that the children dug out the IED and took it home. Unfortunately, it detonated, killing one and injuring six others,” he said.
He added that the police acted promptly by evacuating the injured victims to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Daso also said the command is strengthening sensitization efforts across communities in the state to prevent similar incidents.
“These incidents have been recurring in Konduga, Dikwa, Monguno, and Jere, despite the ban on scrap metal collection in the state,” he added.
Earlier, the Borno State Police Command recovered an unexploded ordnance (UXO) from farmland in Dikwa Local Government Area.
ASP Daso said the recovery was made after a farmer, Babagana Kachalla, reported a suspicious object on his land.
Following the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was deployed, and the object was identified as a 2.2-meter-long Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU).
On January 27, 2024, six Tsangaya pupils (Almajirai) and a scrap metal dealer were killed in an IED explosion in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.
In July 2022, 13 scrap-metal collectors died after a bomb they unearthed exploded in the Bama Local Government Area of the state.