The five children who lost their lives in a bomb explosion in Katsina State picked a military grenade and were fiddling with it.

This is according to an investigation conducted by the police into the incident which occurred on Saturday at Yammama, a village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, disclosed the outcome of the investigation in a statement sent to Channels Television.

He noted that the investigation was conducted by detectives from the police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

 

‘Children Of One Person’

Earlier, residents told Channels Television that six people were feared killed in the incident with five others severely injured.

The police, however, put the death figure at five, adding that six others were wounded.

Confirming the incident in an earlier statement, Isah explained that the Division Police Officer in Malumfashi reported that a loud sound was heard from the farm of one Alhaji Hussaini Mai Kwai at about 11:30am.

 

He said the police officer swiftly led operatives of the Operation Puff Adder to the scene to ascertain the situation there.

The command’s spokesman confirmed that the five deceased victims were all “young children of one person, by name Alhaji Adamu of Yammawa village, Malumfashi LGA of Katsina state.”

He added that all 11 children were at the farm to cut grasses for animals’ feed while the injured victims were immediately evacuated to the General Hospital in Malumfashi for treatment.

Isah said the scene of the incident has since been preserved by the police.