Five children have reportedly been injured following the explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mafa LGA of Borno state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the incident occurred at about 2:25 pm on Thursday.
Makama said the IEDs exploded when the children unknowingly tampered with the devices, which had been hidden in block holes near a culvert along the access road to the construction site of the New Mafa Central Mosque.
The victims include four males and one female identified as Abdullahi Umar, Musa Mele, Fatima Abatcha, Abba Muhammed, and Khalid Bukar.
Makama noted that the blast caused varying degrees of injuries on the vitims, with one of the boys losing his hand.
The combined team from the explosive ordinance disposal-chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (EOD-CBRN) unit, police from Mafa Division, and the civilian Joint task force (CJTF) responded to the incident.
The scene of the explosion was restricted, and secondary devices were searched for, with pieces of can tins used as improvised containers for the IED found and professionally detonated.
The EOD-CBRN team conducted an explosive ordinance risk education (EORE) for children and community members.
