Taraba State Police Command has confirmed a deadly explosion in Didango Geita village of Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state.
The police said the explosion from a dane gun – which children were playing with – 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.
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.
The Commissioner clarified that the three children were playing with a dane gun on a tree when the gunpowder detonated, resulting in their deaths.
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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.
According to him, “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.
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”Since there was no assailant, it is suspected to be an accidental discharge.
He, however, noted that the scene of the incident has been cordoned and investigation is still ongoing to unravel more facts.
He 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.