A ten-year-old Fulani boy herding cattle was killed while his 8 years old younger brother sustained injuries in an explosion from a suicide bomb belt forcefully strapped around the elder’s body by suspected Boko Haram insurgents, the police said.

According to the police, the the two underaged kids, Gambo Bukar and Umar Bukar, ran into Boko Haram insurgents while they were grazing their animals on Saturday.

The insurgents caught them and forcefully strapped a suicide bomb belt on the elderly kid with a warning that it must not be removed until they got back home.

“The incident happened yesterday15/7/2017, at about 1000hrs when two boys, Gambo Bukar and Umar Bukar, aged 10 and 8yrs respectively, Fulani by tribe, of Dalti village in Jere LGA, outskirt of Maiduguri, went out for grazing at Baram and Tamsongamdu villages in Mafa LGA,” said the Borno State police spokesperson, Victor Isukwu.

“They came in contact with Boko Haram terrorists elements. Gambo Bukar was strapped with IED vest and set free.

“They returned home at about 1600hrs of same day, and failed to disclose their encounter with the terrorists. In the process of unstrapping the vest, the IED exploded killing Gambo Bukar alone, while Umar Bukar sustained injuries and was hospitalised.”

Mr. Isukwu said normalcy has since been restored to the area after police anti-bomb squad visited the scene of the blast.

Boko Haram has been conscripting teenagers, mostly females, to carry out attacks around the city of Maiduguri in the past few months. About 76 suicide attacks were carried out between March and July this year.