26 Travellers Killed in Borno Bomb Blast as Boko Haram Escalates Attacks

At least 26 people were killed on Monday when two vehicles struck an improvised explosive device (IED) along the Kala-Balge to Gamboru-Ngala road in Borno State, northeast Nigeria.

The incident occurred around noon near Furunduma village when a pickup van travelling from Rann, the headquarters of Kala-Balge Local Government Area, to Gamboru-Ngala, drove on the explosive.

Spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident. According to PUNCH, he said the explosion involved an Izuzu pickup van with registration number XA265KKU. Among the dead were 16 men, four women, and six children. Three others, including the driver, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment.

The International Safety Organisation, which supports foreign humanitarian agencies in the region, also confirmed the blast in an internal memo. The organisation said the victims were civilians travelling between the two communities, both located in an area severely affected by the ongoing insurgency.

Some local residents claimed that the death toll was lower, putting the figure at eight, but acknowledged that many others were critically injured.

This marks the second deadly IED attack in Borno in just over two weeks. On April 13, a Hummer bus travelling from Damboa to Maiduguri detonated an explosive device planted along the road at Komala village in Konduga Local Government Area. That attack killed eight passengers and left 11 others seriously wounded. Police said the explosive was likely planted by Boko Haram fighters.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, April 26, suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed 14 farmers and two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Gwoza Local Government Area.

The CJTF members were ambushed near Sabon-Gari, close to Kirawa, while returning from a routine patrol on Friday. According to sources in Gwoza, the attackers opened fire on their vehicle. Two members were killed instantly, while the driver escaped with injuries.

The farmers were killed the following day as they headed to their farmlands near the Mandara Mountains, between Pulka and Ngoshe. Emir of Gwoza, Mohammed Idris Timta, confirmed the incident. He said the victims had gone beyond the government-designated safe farming zone and were not accompanied by any security personnel. Ten bodies were recovered on Saturday, and four more were found on Sunday, bringing the total to 14.

These attacks are the latest in a renewed wave of violence in Borno, the epicentre of a 15-year-old insurgency led by Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The groups frequently target civilians and aid workers using IEDs and ambush tactics.

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