A bomb explosion on Thursday morning claimed the life of a middle-aged farmer and injured four others in Bassa, a community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
This is the second such incident in two weeks. The explosion occurred as the victim headed to his farm, while three of the injured lost their legs and are now receiving treatment at a government health facility in Minna.
A community member, Ahmed Almustapha, revealed that the victims include three of his sister’s children. He described the recurring incidents as alarming and called on the Niger State and federal governments to urgently address the situation.
Two weeks earlier, another explosion in the same community killed a farmer, allegedly due to explosives planted by suspected bandits targeting the Joint Security Taskforce deployed to the area.
Bassa community has faced persistent attacks from gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents.
In April, the area was overrun, with over 30 people killed, including 20 beheaded. Residents fled, only to return after the deployment of security forces in June.
It is believed that the gunmen, frustrated by the security presence, have resorted to planting explosives along major roads, endangering both security personnel and civilians.