1 dead, others injured as bomb explosions hit Niger community

A devastating bomb explosion has struck Bassa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, claiming the life of one farmer, Dauda Haruna, and injuring four others, including three siblings.

The incident occurred Thursday morning when the victims were on their way to harvest crops in a farm located between Bassa and Gwadara communities.

According to eyewitnesses, the first explosion occurred when three siblings – Mali (20), Nehemiah (14), and Jona (15) – were riding a motorcycle. The second explosion went off when a rescue team, including Dauda Haruna, arrived at the scene and stepped on another explosive device.

Mr. Enoch, the father of the three injured siblings, struggled to hold back tears as he recounted the incident at the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna, where the victims are receiving treatment.

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Enoch explained that the children were ahead of him and his wife on a motorcycle when they heard a loud explosion. This is the second time this month that bombs have exploded in Bassa, leaving residents in a state of fear and uncertainty.

“We were going to farm to harvest our crops. So, I asked my children to start going on bike while my wife and I followed on foot. They were far from us but we heard a heavy sound like gunshots. While we were discussing that it might be bandits, someone coming from the same direction told us that some children had stepped on a bomb. I knew they were my children.

“Two people who came from Bassa on a rescue mission again stepped on another bomb close to the scene of my children. Unfortunately, one lost his life,” he explained.

Two of the siblings, Nehemiah and Jonah and one of the rescuers, Abdullahi Shuaibu lost one leg each.

An eyewitness, Sa’adu Shuaibu, told this newspaper that one of the victims who died was taking loafs of bread to the neighbouring villages when he met the three siblings in distress, with their legs shattered.

“When he saw the children, because he could not help them alone, he rushed to the community to tell us to go and rescue them. So, he picked one person on his bike and on their way, they stepped on another bomb. Unfortunately, the victim who rode the bike died while the person he took lost one of his legs,” he said.

One of residents, Ahmed Almustapha, appealed to the state and federal governments to come to their aid.

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