Nigeria: Bomb Explosion Kills Nine in Borno’s Guzamala, Many Injured in Bus Stop Attack

At least nine people have been confirmed dead and several others injured following the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) at a bus stop in Mairari village, located in Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State.

The explosion, which occurred around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, targeted civilians waiting to board commercial vehicles, local sources said.

Confirming the tragic incident, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, described the attack as “unfortunate” and revealed that the victims were mainly returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had gone back to Mairari to engage in farming.

It is unfortunate that nine of my resilient constituents were killed by planted IEDs while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in Mairari village, Lawan said.

He further lamented that the victims had returned to the once-resettled community with hopes of rebuilding their lives, only to be targeted by terrorists believed to be Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operatives.

You are aware that Mairari village, which was previously the only village resettled twice with civil authority in the entire Guzamala Local Government Area, has once again been deserted due to Boko Haram/ISWAP attacks, Lawan added.

According to him, many displaced residents sheltering in Monguno, Guzamala, and Maiduguri frequently return to Mairari to farm despite the insecurity. He stated that the attackers had likely been monitoring these movements before planting the deadly device.

Unfortunately, terrorists who have been monitoring their movements planted IEDs at the local bus stop, which exploded while they were waiting to board commercial vehicles back to their destinations, he said.

The Speaker extended condolences to the bereaved families and called on the Nigerian military to intensify efforts to restore security in Guzamala, particularly in Mairari and Gudumbali, the local government headquarters, which he noted remain under Boko Haram control with no functional civil authority.

It should be recalled that recently, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, said some Nigerian politicians and members of the armed forces are acting as informants and collaborators for Boko Haram insurgents. The governor also warned that the Nigerian army is increasingly under-equipped to deal with the insurgency, especially as terrorists adopt advanced technologies like drones.

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