Thirteen scrap-metal collectors in Borno state were killed when a bomb they excavated blew up, security sources said on Tuesday, IgbereTV reports
Sixteen metal scavengers from a displaced persons’ camp in Bama found the bomb while digging for scrap on Monday in the bush on the outskirts of town.
“The bomb exploded as they were pushing it in a cart toward the town, killing 13 and seriously injuring three,” Babakura Kolo, a leader in a local anti-jihadist militia, said.
Kolo said the ordnance had apparently been dropped in 2015, when the military bombed jihadist positions during operations to retake Bama from Boko Haram.
The Nigerian military is battling to end a 13-year jihadist insurgency in the country’s northeast that has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced 2.2 million more
