One person has been reportedly killed in multiple explosions that rocked Bassa community, Shiroro LGA of Niger State, Daily Trust reports.
It was gathered that the suspected bomb explosions rocked the community on Thursday, December 19, morning killing Dauda Haruna, a farmer in Bassa.
Four other people, including three siblings – Mali (20), Nehemiah (14) and Jona (15) – were said to have been severely injured following the explosion.
Sources in the community said the siblings were riding on a motorcycle when the first explosion happened. The second one, the residents said occurred while some other people on motorcycles were coming closer to rescue the victims of the first one.
According to residents privy to details of the incident, the second set of victims had stepped on the explosives which killed Haruna.
A father of the three siblings, Mr Enoch while narrating the ordeal said the victims were receiving treatment at the IBB specialist Hospital in Minna.
According Enoch, his children were on the motorcycle on their way to harvest the crops in their farm while he was trekking with his wife when it happened.
He also confirmed that this is the second time an explosion would be going off in the Bassa community.
“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,” Enoch said.
He also said that among his three children, Jonah and Nehemiah lost one leg each.
In addition, one of the rescuers, Abdullahi Shuaibu, also lost a leg in the process.
Two of the siblings, Nehemiah and Jonah and one of the rescuers, Abdullahi Shuaibu lost one leg each.
Another resident, Sa’adu Shuaibu, said one of the victims of the explosion who lost his life was delivering loaves of bread to a community nearby when the incident occurred.
Shuaibu said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
The residents also called on the state and Federal Governments to come to their aide following the multiple attacks by yet-to-be-identified criminals.