Barely a week after Kabba witnessed an explosion, another happened on Thursday evening, claiming two lives including a masquerade, leaving many others injured in Idoji area of Okene Local Government Council of Kogi State.
The incident occurred at the Idoji part of the local government, where the Echeane Festival, an annual masquerade occasion was ongoing.
Eyewitnesses disclosed that the bomb suspected to be a local explosive was detonated in a gathering of spectators at the festival, adding that it left nails in the wounded legs of some of the victims.
One of the residents of the area who witnessed the incident, Usman Sani, said that the explosion occurred around 6 pm on Thursday when some people, including masquerades, had gathered to celebrate the annual festival in Okene.
Sani who disclosed that the sound of the explosion affected many residents, said that a man whose name and address are yet to be identified lost two of his legs, while many others sustained injuries.
He added that one of the victims of the explosion died on their way to Okengwe General Hospital, where the victims were taken to, for medical treatment.
He further added that on reaching the hospital, some of the victims were referred to Lokoja, as some of the injuries could not be handled by the medical personnel at Okengwe.
Following the attack, the Chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, Abdulraheem Ohiare, suspended the masquerade outing.
In a statement, Ohiare directed custodians and traditional heads to obey the new development, assuring of his commitment to peaceful coexistence.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police William Ayah, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, confirmed the explosion in Okene, where some people were injured.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Edward Egbuka, had deployed a police bomb expert to the scene, to unravel the cause of the explosion.
The Okene explosion occurred just a few weeks after two explosions in Kabba, where a woman, a native of Ebiraland, but a resident in Kabba, lost her life, while her younger brother lost one of his legs.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
