A devastating explosion from an improvised explosive device (IED) has left four boys dead in Borno State, casting a renewed shadow over the region's security challenges. The tragic incident occurred on Friday, December 5, 2025, in the Bayan Tasha area of Banki town, located within the Bama Local Government Area.
Details of the Fatal Incident
According to the Borno State Police Command, the victims were young boys between the ages of 12 and 15. The police spokesman, Nahum Daso, identified the deceased as Awana Mustapha (15), Malum Modu (14), Lawan Ibrahim (12), and Modu Abacha (12). A fifth boy, 12-year-old Mustapha Tijja, sustained serious injuries from the blast fragments and was rushed to the FHI 360 NGO Clinic in Banki, where he is reportedly responding to treatment.
Security sources and an investigation revealed a heartbreaking sequence of events. The boys had reportedly found the explosive device on the outskirts of the town two days prior, mistaking it for a piece of scrap metal. Despite their parents, who are internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking refuge in an abandoned church building, instructing them to return the object, the boys refused.
A Family and Community Shattered
The source further detailed that the victims included two siblings from the same parents, their cousin, and a neighbor's son. The explosion happened inside their room as the boys attempted to dismantle the device. The blast was powerful enough to not only kill four of them instantly but also completely burn down the room, destroying their parents' clothes and food supplies.
The Commissioner of Police has since issued a stern warning, urging residents, especially children, to avoid touching or playing with strange objects. The public has been advised to promptly report any suspicious items to the nearest police station to prevent a recurrence of such a preventable tragedy.
A Grim Pattern of Explosive Threats
This incident adds to a worrying history of IED explosions in Borno State. Recall that on Saturday, May 31, 2025, an IED planted at a bus stop in Mairari village, Guzamala local government area, killed at least nine passengers and injured many others.
Similarly, on Monday, May 26, 2025, an explosion rocked a popular bus stop opposite the Mogadishu Cantonment in the Asokoro area of Abuja, highlighting that the threat of such devices remains a national security concern. These repeated incidents underscore the lingering dangers posed by unexploded ordnance and deliberately planted explosives in parts of the country, particularly in the northeast.
