Four teenagers have died and another sustained serious injuries following the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
The incident occurred on Friday behind the Banki Motor Park in Wajari Ward, where the victims were said to have been playing with the device reportedly picked from the bush.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Nahum Daso, confirmed the development in a statement, noting that the device exploded at about 12:40 p.m.
He said the police received a distress report from a resident, Babagana Mohammed, after which the Divisional Police Officer, Banki Division, and a team of Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians cordoned off the area.
According to him, preliminary findings showed that the deceased teenagers had taken the object to a makeshift room behind the motor park before it exploded.
The victims were identified as Awana Mustapha, 15; Malum Modu, 14; Lawan Ibrahim, 12; and Modu Abacha, 12.
Daso added that a 12-year-old survivor, Mustapha Tijja, sustained multiple injuries and was receiving treatment at an FHI-360 clinic in Banki.
He said normalcy had been restored, while investigations were ongoing to ascertain the source of the device.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, commiserated with the affected families and urged residents, particularly children, to avoid handling unfamiliar objects and report suspicious items to security agencies promptly.
Several communities in Borno continue to face risks from unexploded ordnance linked to years of insurgency in the region.