Two victims of the gunpowder explosion that devastated the Talata Mafara weekly market in Zamfara State, died while receiving treatment at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto.
The deceased, Muhammad Lawal Matusgi and Sani Adamu Kanarkalgo, were among those evacuated to Sokoto after suffering severe burns from the blast that occurred on Tuesday.
The explosion, which took place around 11:30 a.m., injured over 50 traders and customers in the section of the market where locally fabricated guns are sold.
A medical worker at the General Hospital in Talata Mafara, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that the facility was already overwhelmed before the incident.
“We received many victims, some with first-degree burns, but due to a lack of space and resources, we had to refer several others to Sokoto,” he said.
Mu’azu Yusuf, Divisional Secretary of the Red Cross, confirmed that former Governor Abdulazeez Yari had provided vehicles to transport all the injured, including those initially admitted at the Talata Mafara General Hospital, to Sokoto for specialized care.
A local government official, who also requested anonymity, described the explosion as devastating and revealed that other sections of the market were affected.
“This is the biggest market in our area, and many people had raised concerns about the presence of Dane gun dealers, but nothing was done by the authorities,” he said.
He also recalled a previous incident last year, when a young girl was killed due to an accidental discharge in the same section of the market.
“We are calling on the government to relocate the gun sellers to a safer place outside town,” the official added.
However, he dismissed calls for a ban on Dane gun sales, emphasizing that villagers rely on them for self-defense against bandits.
ASP Yazid Abubakar, Spokesman for the Zamfara State Police Command, confirmed the explosion but said he had not yet received full details.
“I just returned from Abuja, but I will get the full briefing from the Divisional Police Officer in Talata Mafara and provide an update,” he said.
