Borno: 13-year-old boy killed in IED explosion

The Borno State Police Command has confirmed the tragic death of a 13-year-old boy after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Monguno Local Government Area.

Authorities suspect the device was planted by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, who have repeatedly used such tactics to terrorize communities in the region.

The police spokesman in Borno, Nahun Daso, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Monday, said the incident occurred at Kawuram, Monguno, on Sunday.

He said the victim was returning from the farm with his father, Usman Abubakar, the head of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Monguno, when he stepped on the device.

“The explosion fatally injured the teenager. A military Forward Operating Base (FOB) was alerted, and a combined team of the military, Police EOD-CBRN, police patrol team, CJTF and hunters visited the scene.

“The area was cordoned, searched and rendered safe for other users. No other unexploded devices were found.

“The victim was evacuated to the General Hospital in Monguno where he later died while receiving treatment,” he said.

According to him, the corpse has been released to the family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

He added that security had been reinforced in the area.

(NAN)