Taraba state police have confirmed an explosion from a dane gun that children were playing with in Didango Geita village, Karim Lamido Local Government Area.
The police said the explosion resulted in the deaths of three children and injuries to four others.
The state Commissioner of Police, David Iloyonomon, refuted the earlier assertion that an improvised explosive device (IED) caused the children’s deaths.
He clarified that the three children were playing with a dane gun on a tree when the gunpowder detonated, resulting in their deaths.
He also stated 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.
The police boss 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.
He further revealed that the scene of the incident have been cordoned and investigation is still ongoing to unravel more facts.
Iloyonomon added: “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”.
The police commissioner identified the three deceased children as Miracle Danjuma 11 years old, Liyacheyan Bitrus 12 years old, Kefas Bitrus 11 years old, with the first casualty, Miracle Danjuma being 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.