ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Taraba state police authorities have confirmed an explosion from a dane gun, in Didango Geita village of Karim Lamido Local Government Area.
The Nation reports that children were playing with Dane gun, a development that led to the death of three of them, while four others sustained injuries.
The state Commissioner of Police, David Iloyonomon, denied the earlier assertion that an improvised explosive device (IED) caused the children’s deaths.
Iloyonomon however, clarified that the three children were playing with a dane gun on a tree when the gunpowder detonated, resulting in their deaths.
The Commissioner of Police also noted that four other children playing under the tree were injured, with one sustaining fatal wounds and undergoing treatment at the state’s specialist hospital in Jalingo, the state capital.
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He said: “One Danjuma Audu gave the information to the police that there was an explosion which resulted to the death of three youngsters and the injury of four others.
”On the receipt of the information, we deployed the anti bomb unit of the Nigeria Police Force who rushed to the scene, conducted a professional and thorough search and discovered that no exhibit is related to dynamite or IED recovered from the scene.
”Instead, they recovered pallets from a den gun which was evident in the bodies of the casualties and suspected to be responsible for their death.
”Since there was no assailant, it is suspected to be an accidental discharge.
Furthermore, he revealed that the scene of the incident have been cordoned and investigation is still ongoing to unravel more facts.
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“Further findings by the E.O.D unit revealed that the three pallets recovered are used in conjunction with gun powder to prepare ammunition for den guns.
”Thereafter a further interview with Mallam Danjuma Audu, who reported the incident to the police, revealed that the three children that died were the ones on top of the tree while in the farm, while the other four that were on the ground sustained injuries and that’s a very clear evidence to show that it is not an IED explosion, because if it were to be IED or dynamite explosion, those children on the ground and on the tree would have been shattered beyond recognition”, Iloyonomon added.
The three deceased children were identified as; Miracle Danjuma 11 years old, Liyacheyan Bitrus 12 years old, Kefas Bitrus 11 years old.
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Meanwhile, Miracle Danjuma was the first reported casualty, and also, the son of the man who reported the incident.
Others that sustained varying degrees of injuries include: Joseph Danjuma 8 years old, Leah Aluda 8 years old, Godbless Hassan 7 years old, Christian Hassan 7 years old who happen to be the grand children of Danjuma Audu, the owner of an irrigation rice farm whom the children followed to assist in his farm.