By Johnson Babajide

Copyright tribuneonlineng

An explosion has rocked a primary school in Ater, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, injuring seven pupils.

According to locals, the pupils of LGEA Primary School, Ater, discovered an object in one of the classrooms.

Unaware of its nature, some of the children began playing with it when it suddenly exploded.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday.

A resident, who identified himself simply as Ternenger, told our correspondent on the phone on Friday that some pupils had picked up an object they found around the school premises and were playing with it.

He said: “The children picked up an object and were playing with it, and inserted it into a combustible element, which led to the explosion. Thankfully, no life was lost, but seven pupils sustained injuries. It was not an armed attack targeted at the school, but purely an accident. The blast also damaged part of the school building.”

Ternenger further said that the object was suspected to be a component of an explosive device, possibly misplaced by security operatives during a clearance operation in the area.

He identified the injured pupils as including Abigail Terseer, a Primary Five pupil, along with William Msaaga and Tyolumun Deborah, both of Primary Six. Others were Terseer Mhenuter (Primary Three), Mzungwega Mnengeuter (Primary Two), and Aondohemba Luper (Primary One).

Confirming the report, the Police Public Relations Officer for the State Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was immediately deployed to assess the environment.

Meanwhile, a team from the Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management, led by the Commissioner, Dr Margaret Adamu, visited the scene of the incident.

The Commissioner, who spoke at St Anthony’s Hospital, Zaki-Biam, appreciated the Chairman of Ukum LGA, Modi Jonathan, for his prompt intervention in ensuring the well-being of the children.

She also commended the management of St Anthony’s Hospital for providing timely medical attention and expressed hope in God for the pupils’ speedy recovery.

Also, the Chairman of the LGA, Jonathan Modi, who spoke during the visit of the ministry, disclosed that investigations were ongoing to ascertain the source of the explosion.

He explained that he was away on an official assignment when the incident occurred, but had immediately directed that the victims be taken to a good hospital for urgent treatment.

The Chairman disclosed that three of the victims were already set to be discharged, while one with a severe eye injury would be referred to Makurdi for specialised care.

The Managing Director of St Anthony’s Hospital, Rev. Sr Susan Tonguve, confirmed that the children had been stabilised, with only one still facing a serious eye challenge, but assured that the hospital was doing everything possible to treat them effectively.

Responding on behalf of the parents of the affected children, Mzungwega Yongo appreciated the Benue State Government for responding immediately to the situation.

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