A gas explosion on Wednesday claimed one life injuring six others in Damaturu the Yobe State capital.

Eye witnesses said an Army personnel brought a pipe to be constructed for the hoisting of flags while construction work was going on, the explosive devices went off killing the welder, one army personnel and others close to the welding point.

The witness suspected that explosive devices may have been embedded in the pipe unknowingly to the security personnel by the militant group, Boko Haram.

But the Army Spokesman for the 27th Taskforce Brigade Lieutenant, George Okupe while speaking to newsmen at the scene of the explosion, confirmed the death of the welder as well as the injured Army Personnel who is currently receiving treatment at the Sani Abacha specialist’s hospital in Damaturu the state capital.

He said the cause of the explosion is yet to be known but members of the Explosive Ordinance Devices (EOD) have been deployed to the area to ensure no further explosive devices are still within the area.

The Army Spokesman also said an investigation to ascertain the cause of the explosion has since commenced.

Yobe State is located in the troubled north east geo political zone of the country and has passed through several security challenges over the years, with thousands of people losing their lives in gun battles between security forces and the insurgents while others died through explosive related cases among others.

Since the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the insurgents have been fairly subdued which had led to the restoration of relative peace in the north east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Today’s explosion brought a renewed fear in the minds of the residents as the sound of the explosion threw the town into another confusion, with residents trooping to the scene of the explosion as security agents besiege the area to avoid breakdown of law and order.

•Sourced from Channels TV.

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