An explosion has occurred near the personal residence of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State.

A resident of the town, Ahmed Hamza, told PREMIUM TIMES that the explosion occurred near an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, parked in front of the Government House.

He said three children who were attending a ceremony at the residence of the Governor’s Chief of Staff died following the stampede after the blast.

“One more dead body was seen in the area, we are however not sure if it is the bomber or just a passerby,” he said.

The spokesperson of Mr. Dankwambo, Junaidu Usman, however, claimed the blast was not from an explosive device.

“The blast is from a car kept all day in the sun and possibly contains an inflammatory item. It is definitely not a bomb and it wasn’t within the vicinity of the Governor’s House”.

Mr. Usman also said it is only the police that can give the official casualty figure, if any.

The police are yet to make a statement of the explosion.

The spokesperson of the Gombe Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Fwaje Atajiri, could not be reached for comments.