No fewer than eight Nigerian soldiers were reportedly killed after a military convoy struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) allegedly planted by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in Borno State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday as troops attached to the 24 Task Force Brigade, Dikwa, were returning to their base from Maiduguri after escorting food supplies and other logistics.
According to military sources quoted by SaharaReporters, the lead vehicle in the convoy, a gun truck, triggered the explosive along the route.
A military source said the explosion killed all the personnel travelling in the lead vehicle.
“Yesterday, Thursday, the leading vehicle, a gun truck ran into an IED on their way back to Dikwa from Maiduguri. All the soldiers in that vehicle died on the spot. About eight of them,” the source was quoted as saying.
The identities and ranks of the deceased had yet to be officially confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
The latest attack adds to a series of deadly roadside bomb incidents targeting military personnel in the North-East.
In June, three soldiers were killed and several others injured after a military vehicle struck an IED along the Marte–Dikwa road, a major military supply route in Borno State.
Similarly, in April 2025, suspected terrorists reportedly ambushed a military convoy in the Dikwa axis, killing at least four soldiers and destroying two military trucks.
Security analysts have attributed the increasing attacks to a shift in tactics by insurgents, who now rely heavily on roadside explosives rather than direct confrontations with troops.
The explosives are often planted along routes used by the military to transport personnel, food, fuel and other logistics between Maiduguri, Dikwa, Bama and neighbouring local government areas.
