An explosive device went off at a school near Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Monday, resulting in the deaths of two individuals who were handling the device, along with injuries to two others, according to police reports.

The improvised explosive device (IED) is believed to have been introduced to the Tsangagyar Sani Uthman Islamiyya School in the Bwari area by three men visiting the school’s administrator, stated police spokeswoman Josephine Adeh in an official announcement.

“In a tragic turn of events, two of the men lost their lives due to the explosion while they were manipulating the explosive on the school porch. Meanwhile, the third individual and a female vendor suffered serious injuries,” Adeh remarked.

Evidence gathered from the scene confirmed that the blast was caused by an IED, leading to the school proprietor being taken in for questioning, as mentioned by the police spokesperson, who did not provide additional details.

The identities of the three men involved were not disclosed by the police, who only indicated that they had traveled from Katsina state in northwestern Nigeria, an area significantly affected by armed conflict.

In recent years, Abuja has experienced an increase in security incidents and attacks, which local officials often link to armed groups operating in the neighboring states, many of which are grappling with violence.

The northern region of Nigeria, where Abuja is situated, has witnessed similar explosive incidents, including a coordinated attack in June of the previous year, when suicide bombers targeted a wedding ceremony, a subsequent funeral for the victims, and a hospital that was treating those injured.

These coordinated assaults took place in Borno state, an area that has been engaged in a prolonged struggle against extremist factions since the onset of an insurgency that has also affected Nigeria’s neighboring countries including Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.