Eight members of a civilian anti-jihadist militia were killed on Tuesday when their vehicle struck a landmine in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, militia leaders confirmed.
The victims were returning to Maiduguri, the regional capital, from Marte in the Lake Chad region after assisting Nigerian troops in repelling an attempted jihadist attack on a military base. The explosion occurred around 2:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) between the towns of Marte and Dikwa.
“Their vehicle hit the landmine while driving back to Maiduguri, killing all eight on board,” said Babakura Kolo, a local militia commander. His account was corroborated by fellow militia leader Ibrahim Liman, who said the bodies had been transported to Maiduguri and would be buried on Wednesday.
The fatal blast followed recent violence in the area. In mid-May, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a deadly raid on the Marte military base, killing four soldiers and seizing weapons before setting the facility ablaze. ISWAP, along with rival group Boko Haram, has intensified its operations in Borno and neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states in recent months.
According to Nigeria’s military, the most recent attempt to infiltrate the Marte base was successfully repelled on Tuesday with the support of air strikes. Two soldiers were reportedly killed in the skirmish, while “several fleeing terrorists” were neutralized.
The ongoing insurgency, now in its 16th year, has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people, mostly in Nigeria’s northeast. The violence has spilled into neighbouring countries including Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition aimed at combating the jihadist threat.
Written By Rodney Mbua
