NaijaTrendCompass gathered that the children were heading to deliver food to their relatives working on a farm when the incident occurred during the weekend.
Residents of communities in Baruteen Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State have accused suspected terrorists of planting explosives along roads to kill motorists and terrorise villagers after they reportedly refused to pay a N10 million monthly levy demanded by the armed group.
The allegation follows a deadly explosion in Duruma village on Saturday, where a child was killed and her sibling reportedly suffered a broken leg after an explosive device suspected to have been planted by bandits detonated as they made their way to a farm.
One of the children, who was walking ahead of the others, reportedly stepped on the explosive, triggering a blast that killed her instantly, while her sibling sustained a broken leg.
Residents said the incident has heightened fear across the affected communities, particularly as farmers are currently in the harvesting season and must travel frequently to their farmlands to harvest and transport produce.
“They are planting explosives on the roads to kill our people because we refused to pay them N10 million every month,” a resident familiar with the security situation told NaijaTrendCompass.
The resident described the action as part of the armed group’s intimidation campaign against communities that refused to meet its financial demands.
“We can no longer feel safe going to our farms. Even children going to deliver food to their parents are now at risk. Nobody knows where the next explosion will happen,” another source said.
The residents expressed concern that the alleged planting of explosives along routes used by farmers and other travellers could lead to further casualties if urgent security measures a re not taken.
“We are in the harvesting season. Our people have to go to their farms to feed their families, but now even the roads are no longer safe,” a source added.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of rural communities in the area, where farming remains a major source of livelihood and residents depend on access roads to reach their farmlands.
Residents have urged security agencies to investigate the explosion, identify those responsible and protect villagers from further attacks.
They also warned members of the public against approaching suspicious objects found along roads or footpaths, urging them to report such discoveries to security agencies immediately.
NaijaTrendCompassmade efforts to contact the Kwara State Police Command spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, for comments on the explosion and the allegations of a N10 million monthly levy by suspected terrorists.
She had not responded to calls and messages seeking her reaction as of the time of filing this report.
The tragic incident comes less than a week after NaijaTrendCompass reported that forest guards deployed by the Kwara State Government to tackle insecurity in vulnerable communities lamented unpaid allowances and inadequate weapons, questioning the government’s priorities amid Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s recent financial commitments to an Islamic organisation in Ilorin.
The guards, who said they had been deployed to high-risk areas since December 2025, alleged that the government had failed to meet its welfare obligations, leaving personnel expected to confront armed criminals without adequate support.
Their complaints have renewed concerns about the welfare and operational readiness of security personnel deployed to tackle banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in parts of Kwara State.
“We have been deployed since December 2025, but our allowances remain unpaid. We accepted this assignment because we wanted to help protect our communities, but the government has not fulfilled its obligations to us,” one of the forest guards told NaijaTrendCompass.
“We are expected to confront armed bandits in the forests, yet we do not have the weapons and support we need to do the job safely. How can you send people to fight insecurity without properly equipping them?”
The guards said the situation had left personnel worried about their safety, particularly when they encountered criminals armed with sophisticated weapons.
“Our lives are at risk every day. We are the ones going into these dangerous areas, but when it comes to our welfare, nobody seems to care about us. We have families to feed, and we cannot continue working indefinitely without being paid,” one of the personnel said.
