Eight Nigerian soldiers killed in Borno landmine explosion

Eight Nigerian soldiers were killed after their patrol vehicle detonated a landmine planted by insurgents from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) along a dusty transit corridor in Borno State.

The fatal blast occurred in Kinuba village, approximately 25 kilometres outside the border town of Gamboru near Nigeria’s frontier with Cameroon. The troops were supervising members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and local anti-jihadist militias who were clearing roadside thickets used by terrorists as ambush cover along the highway.

The tragic incident comes amid a sharp resurgence of coordinated insurgent strikes across the Lake Chad region, underscoring the persistent threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria’s North-East.

“The Explosive Was Remote-Detonated”: Eye-Witness Accounts

Military sources and local militia forces confirmed that all personnel aboard the patrol vehicle died instantly from the force of the blast.

Ibrahim Liman, a leader in the local anti-jihadist militia assisting troops with clearance operations, described the precise mechanism behind the attack.

“The explosive was planted on a dusty road and remotely detonated using a detonating cord,” Liman said. “A militia member supervising the clearing operation also sustained shrapnel injuries.”

A senior military officer operating in the sector confirmed the fatal outcome without releasing the identities of the deceased troops.

“All eight soldiers aboard the patrol vehicle died in the explosion,” the military officer confirmed.

The fatal ambush occurred on the same day the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to evaluate theater readiness and assess troops following a major attack on a military base days prior that claimed the lives of several soldiers and five militia fighters.

Mounting Insecurity and Tactical Shifts

The tragic loss highlights a tactical shift by ISWAP fighters, who increasingly rely on buried landmines, command-detonated bombs, and asymmetric ambushes to target mobile patrols along vital trade corridors connecting Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad.

The latest casualty count adds to a grim month for security forces in Borno State:

• October 8: Multiple soldiers were killed following a coordinated, multi-directional assault launched by insurgents against military positions in Kukawa.
• Mid-October: An assault on a forward operating base left 15 troops and five CJTF militia members dead.
• October 18: Eight troops killed in the Kinuba landmine explosion near Gamboru.

Despite ongoing clearing operations by Sector 1 of Operation Hadin Kai and regional multinational forces, dense foliage along the Maiduguri-Gamboru axis continues to provide concealment for insurgent cell units.

The military high command has ordered intensified route-clearing protocols and mine-sweeping deployments along all critical logistical supply lines across the Lake Chad basin, as grieving families await official notification from army authorities.