A deadly blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists on the Pulka/Firgi road in Gwoza Local Government of Borno State claimed the lives of seven farmers on Monday, January 29, 2024.
The farmers were travelling in a commercial vehicle when they ran over the explosive device in the early hours of the day, according to sources who confirmed the incident.
“Seven passengers including the driver were confirmed dead, seven others were severely injured while other bodies were shattered into pieces by the explosive,” one of the sources said.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, said that the terrorists have been using IEDs as their main weapon of choice to counter the Nigerian Military’s offensive against their hideouts.
“The terrorists have lost their capacity and strength to confront the military directly, so they resort to desperate and extreme measures such as planting IEDs on roads and targeting innocent civilians,” Makama said.
READ ALSO: Bomb Blast Kills Six Almajiri Children in Borno
According to Makama, the IEDs mostly locally made bombs, are responsible for more than half of the deaths caused by the terrorists in the Northeast.
This is the second IED attack in less than 48 hours in Borno State, as five Almajiris and two suspected Boko Haram members died in a suicide bombing on Saturday, January 27, 2024.