Seven pupils sustained injuries on Monday after a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) went off at LGEA Primary School, Ater Ayange, in Ukum LGA of Benue State.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the blast occurred around 2 p.m. on September 16.
The report stated that some children discovered an object on the school premises and began playing with it, unaware that it was an explosive device.
The injured pupils were rushed to a hospital in Zaki-Biam, where they are currently receiving treatment and are said to be in stable condition.
The incident was reportedly not brought to the attention of the police until September 18, when the divisional police officer in Ukum received information and dispatched a patrol team to the school and hospital.
Confirming the development, police spokesperson Udeme Edet said that the command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit has been deployed to sweep the school environment.
Edet said, “The police is already on top of it. The EOD team were sent to Ukum LGA to sweep the scene for possible recovery of other hidden explosive objects.”
He added that the state criminal investigation department has also opened an inquiry into the incident.
