At least seven persons were killed by a bomb which exploded on a farm in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State on Saturday.
About 10a.m., residents of Yarmama village, six kilometres to Malumfashi township, were devastated by the blast
Witnesses said that the bomb was planted in a tree in the farm belonging to Alhaji Husaini Maikwai, a wealthy and influential farmer in the area.
Mas`ud Lawal, who witnessed the blast, told HumAngle that “the farmland is on the outskirts of our local government area and we witnessed the incident on our way to Funtua Local Government Area.
“Suddenly, we heard a very terrible sound, followed by heavy explosion in the farm. We couldn’t go near the place and after some minutes, some children were found.
“Six children had their bodies blown beyond recognition while the remaining five children were taken to Malumfashi General Hospital for treatment,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Lawal Dayi, said, “I was in my farm when we heard the explosion. We ran for our dear lives but later found out the explosion rocked Maikwai`s farm.
“The police arrived and discovered the dead bodies,” Dayi said.
A health professional in Malumfashi Local Government Area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told HumAngle that “as the remaining victims arrived, we found that they might also die because they sustained serious injuries.”
Residents said that Alhaji Hasssan Maikwai usually came to his farm every Saturday and Sunday to supervise his children and casual laborers working on the farm.
HumAngle learnt from multiple sources that there is no specific information on the discovery of the bomb.
However, some witnesses said that the children sighted the object and reported to one of the elderly persons working with them on the farm.
“The children might have attempted to dig out the bomb before the man could come near the spot,” Abubakar Babangida added.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Katsina State has been experiencing frequent terrorist attacks in recent times.
There have been killings in Batsari and Fakari local government areas which left several people killed, many injured and thousands displaced.
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