- A Nigerian Army patrol vehicle triggered a landmine in Borno State on Saturday, with defence sources blaming ISWAP for the attack
- The explosion struck while troops were supervising anti-jihadist militia members clearing thickets along a highway near Gamboru
- The attack came on the same day the Nigerian Army Chief was in Maiduguri following a separate jihadist strike that killed 20 people days earlier
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Borno State - Eight Nigerian soldiers died on Saturday after their patrol vehicle rolled over a landmine planted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Borno State, close to the border with Cameroon, defence sources told AFP.
The explosion occurred in Kinuba village, roughly 25 kilometres from the town of Gamboru, while the troops were accompanying anti-jihadist militia members clearing dense thickets along a highway.
Source: Getty Images
As reported by Daily Trust, Jihadists routinely use such vegetation as cover to launch ambushes against soldiers and civilian motorists.
"All eight soldiers in the vehicle were killed in the explosion," a military officer in the region said.
Ibrahim Liman, an anti-jihadist militia member working alongside the military, confirmed the death toll. He said the device had been buried in the dirt road and triggered remotely.
"The explosive was planted on the dusty road and remotely detonated by a detonating cord," Liman said.
He added that a militia member overseeing the clearing operation was wounded by shrapnel.
Army chief's visit to Maiduguri
The attack happened on the same day Nigerian Army Chief Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu was in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to assess the fallout from a separate jihadist assault on a military base earlier in the week.
That earlier attack killed 15 soldiers and five anti-jihadist militia members.
ISWAP and its rival group Boko Haram have increasingly turned to landmines on highways to target both military convoys and civilian traffic in Nigeria's north-east.
Years of Jihadist violence in Nigeria's North-East
Jihadist violence in Nigeria first erupted in 2009 and reached its deadliest peak about a decade ago. Though the intensity dropped in the years that followed, the last two years have seen a marked rise in attacks across the region.
The prolonged conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced about two million people from their homes in Nigeria's north-eastern states.
The instability has also crossed into neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition aimed at combating the militants.
Source: Original
Soldiers feared killed as terrorists hit military post
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that suspected Boko Haram terrorists stormed a military formation in Guzamala LGA of Borno State around midnight on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
The attack lasted over two hours, and the Guzamala LGA chairman confirmed soldiers engaged the terrorists and repelled the assault.
Local sources say casualties were recorded on both sides, with unverified reports that seven soldiers may have been killed
Source: Legit.ng