An explosive device that Boko Haram terrorists detonated has killed one person and injured another in Woro, a community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, where the terrorists on 3 February killed more than 70 people and kidnapped many women and children.
The bomb attack occurred on Monday morning along the Wawa-Kaiama road. The road links Niger and Kwara together.
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The Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying the device detonated when a vehicle drove over it.
“The IED incident occurred on a road a distance from Woro. The device went off as a vehicle rode past it on Monday morning,” Mr Ajakaye said.
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He added that the blast resulted in the immediate death of a male victim, while a woman travelling with a child sustained injuries.
“Sadly, the man died instantly, while his passenger, a woman travelling with a little child, sustained injuries,” he said, noting that the injured woman is receiving treatment and responding well, while the child was unharmed.
However, local accounts suggest the casualty figure may be higher. The Special Assistant on Media to the Kaiama Local Government Chairman, ZulQharnain Shero Musa, said the explosion “claimed lives,” although he noted that the exact number of casualties was still unclear.
“A car drove over an IED. We believe it was planted by Boko Haram members,” Mr Musa said, indicating early suspicions about the perpetrators.
Salihu Umar, the village head of Woro, confirmed the incident. Mr Umar, who had been displaced since the last attack on his community, said he had been briefed about the bomb incident.
“I was told that a commercial Toyota vehicle drove on the explosive and all the occupants died except for a woman who had been taken to the hospital,” he told our reporter.
Other residents who spoke to journalists described scenes of panic following the explosion, with many fleeing the area amid fears of further attacks. Some witnesses, who declined to be named for security reasons, said the blast occurred in the early hours, catching residents off guard.
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Efforts to obtain comments from the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not respond to calls and messages as of the time of filing this report.
The incident comes weeks after a deadly attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities on 3 February, during which suspected terrorists killed scores of residents and abducted many others. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the assault left over 100 people dead, with homes destroyed and several residents displaced.
Since then, the area has remained under heightened tension despite the launch of Operation Savannah Shield, a joint security initiative aimed at curbing banditry and terrorism across parts of Kwara and neighbouring Niger State.
Monday’s explosion has further raised concerns about the persistence of security threats in Kwara North, with residents calling for sustained and effective protection to prevent a recurrence of violence.
