The Taraba State Police Command has rejected the claim that an Improvised Explosive Device caused the deaths of three children in Didango Geita village, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
The Commissioner of Police, David Iloyonomon, stated that the children were actually playing with a Dane gun on a tree, and the gun powder from the Dane gun exploded, resulting in their deaths.
He mentioned that four other children who were playing under the tree were injured, with one in critical condition and receiving treatment at the state’s specialist hospital in Jalingo, the state capital.
“One Danjuma Audu gave the information to the police that there was an explosion which resulted to the death of three youngsters and injury to 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 Dane 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,” Iloyonomon said.
The Commissioner of Police stated that the area where the incident occurred has been secured, and investigations are still underway to uncover more information.
“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 Dane guns.
“Thereafter, we went to further interview Mallam Danjuma Audu who reported the incident to the police. He revealed that the three children that died were the ones on top of the tree in the farm, while the other four that were on the ground sustained injuries.
“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,” he said.
The police commissioner has identified the three children who died as Miracle Danjuma, 11 years old, Liyacheyan Bitrus, 12 years old, and Kefas Bitrus, 11 years old. Miracle Danjuma, the first victim, was the son of the man who reported the incident.
Other children who were injured to varying degrees include Joseph Danjuma, 8 years old, Leah Aluda, 8 years old, Godbless Hassan, 7 years old, and Christian Hassan, 7 years old. These children are the grandchildren of Danjuma Audu, the owner of an irrigation rice farm. The children had followed him to help out on the farm.
