Four young boys were killed and another seriously injured on Friday following the bomb explosion.
The improvised explosive device they had picked up exploded inside a room in the Bayan Tasha area of Banki town, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident and named the deceased as Awana Mustapha, 15; Malum Modu, 14; Lawan Ibrahim, 12; and Modu Abacha, 12. The injured boy, 12-year-old Mustapha Tijja, sustained serious injuries from IED fragments and was rushed to the FHI 360 NGO Clinic in Banki.
“The 12-year-old boy, one Mustapha Tijja, sustained serious injuries from the IED fragments and was rushed to the FHI 360 NGO Clinic, Banki, for medical treatment, where he is currently responding to treatment,” police spokesman ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso said.
Local and security sources said the boys, believed to be scavengers, had found the device two days earlier on the outskirts of the town and mistook it for scrap metal. They brought it home despite their parents’ warnings.
“Our investigation shows that, two days ago, the boys between the ages of 12 and 15, picked the explosive device from the outskirts and brought it into their home, mistaking it as scrap metal,” one of the security sources told journalists.
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“Their parents confirmed that they saw it and asked them to return it but they refused. They were trying to dismantle it when the bomb went up and killed four of them inside the room.
The room was also burnt down completely, including their parents’ clothes and food items,” the source added.
Two of the victims were siblings, one was their cousin, and the fourth was a neighbour’s son. The families are internally displaced persons currently sheltering in an abandoned church building.
The Commissioner of Police extended condolences to the affected families and warned the public, especially children, to stay away from unfamiliar objects.
He urged residents “to promptly report any suspected items sighted at the nearest police station.” #Bomb
