TheCable

At least six children were reportedly killed on Saturday after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a Qur’anic school in Gubio LGA of Borno state.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, said the incident occurred at about 2 p.m.

The publication said an undetonated IED was collected among scraps stored in a building by a metal scavenger.

“An improvised explosive device (IED) has detonated in Gubio town, Borno, resulting in the tragic deaths of six Quranic school pupils popularly known as Almajirai,” the publication said.

“The incident took place on Saturday, January 27, when a metal scavenger unknowingly collected and stored various metallic items in a building in close proximity to a Tsangaya school.

“Little did the scavenger know that among the collected metal was an abandoned undetonated IED, which exploded at approximately 2 pm, claiming the lives of the children and causing severe bodily harm.”

In 2022, the Borno police said about 55 scrap metal collectors were killed by insurgents within the period of three weeks in the state.

In 2023, Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, banned activities of metal scavenging in all LGAs of the state.

Zulum had said metal scavenging activities had caused the death of thousands of citizens in the state.