An explosion bedded in a football field has killed one person in Potiskum, Yobe State in north-east Nigeria, witnesses said.
Residents of Potiskum told Channels Television that the explosion occurred at the Arikime Primary School playing ground and killed a sugar-cane vendor who was heading home after the day’s trading.
They believe the planted bomb that went off around 6:30pm local time on Sunday was targeted at footballers using the playing ground.
The bomber, according to witnesses, was aiming at killing early morning football players who often besiege the busy Arikime playing ground for early exercise only to be triggered prematurely by the sugar-cane seller.
“The innocent wheelbarrow pusher runs into the embedded explosion leading to his death and I can assure you that the death toll this morning would have been much if not for the early trigger which claimed just one life,” a witness said.
The bomb is believed to have been planted by members of the Boko Haram sect, who seem to be having field days in the troubled Potiskum town in the last quarter of this year.
Suicide bombers have about two months ago killed Islamic faithful on procession.
Two weeks later students of the Government Science Secondary School Potiskum were killed in their numbers by a bomber who gained access to the assembly ground of the school.
Relevant authorities are yet to confirm the Sunday incident and no individual or group has claimed responsibility of the attack.
