Militiamen on Friday said five children were killed when a disused grenade they were playing with exploded outside Ngala, Borno State, a town that shares a border with Cameroon.
Anti-jihadist militiaman Umar Kachalla told AFP that “two of them died on the spot while the other three died in hospital in Mada, inside Cameroon.”
Another militiaman Umar Ari gave a similar account of the incident which happened on Thursday.
Boko Haram seized Ngala along with the nearby trading hub of Gamboru in August 2014.
The two towns were recaptured in September 2015 by Nigerian troops with the help of Chadian forces following a months-long offensive.
Ari said unexploded mines and grenades from the conflict still litter the surrounding countryside and many children had been killed or injured.
Residents claimed a Boko Haram insurgent had given the grenade disguised as toy to some children as a gift.
