IED Explosion in Mafa LGA Leaves Five Children Injured
An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Mafa Local Government Area, Borno State, has resulted in injuries to five children, one of whom tragically lost a hand.
According to security expert, Zagazola Makama, the explosion took place at around 14:25 on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The children accidentally triggered the IEDs while playing near a culvert on an access road to the construction site of the New Mafa Central Mosque. The devices had been hidden in block holes.
The injured children—four boys and one girl—were identified as Abdullahi Umar, Musa Mele, Fatima Abatcha, Abba Kawu Muhammed, and Khalid Alhaji Bukar, all from Mafa town.
The blast left the children with varying degrees of injury, with one of the boys losing his hand.
In response to the explosion, a joint team consisting of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal-Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) Unit, police officers from Mafa Division, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) arrived at the scene. They cordoned off the area and conducted a search for secondary devices. The IEDs, which were contained in improvised cans, were safely detonated.
Four of the injured children were transferred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for further medical care, while the fifth, who sustained only minor injuries, was treated and discharged from Mafa General Hospital.
In the wake of this incident, the EOD-CBRN team conducted Explosive Ordinance Risk Education (EORE) sessions for local children and community members to raise awareness about the dangers of IEDs.
