An explosive device burst into flames in Jabo, a town in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, on Thursday night, forcing residents to abandon their homes.

The development, which sparked tension, occurred around 9:30pm, according to witnesses.

Less than two hours after the development, US President, Donald Trump, announced a major operation against terrorists in North West, Nigeria.

Sokoto is one of the states in the North West region.

It is unclear if the operation led to the explosion in Jabo town as Trump did not give details and the Nigerian government had not commented on the incident as of press time.

An eyewitness, Attahiru Madawaki Jabo, told our reporter that the device caught fire after hitting the ground.

“I was at home when we heard a loud sound which shook some of our houses. Immediately the explosive object hit the ground at the outskirt of Jabo town, it burst into fire,” Jabo said.

According to local sources, soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint immediately moved to the scene and cordoned off the area.

The soldiers recovered the scattered parts of the device and took them to their base.

Some residents refused to return to their houses due to the fear of another explosion.

No official statement from authorities as of the time of filing this report. (Daily Trust)