Eight Nigerian soldiers killed in Borno IED blast

A military convoy of the Nigerian Army’s 24 Task Force Brigade was returning from Maiduguri to its base in Dikwa on Thursday when the lead gun truck triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) suspected to have been planted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Borno State. The explosion killed all soldiers inside the vehicle, with reports indicating about eight fatalities. The identities and ranks of the deceased had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.

The attack follows a pattern of increasing insurgent use of roadside bombs in Nigeria’s northeast. In June, three soldiers were killed and several injured after an IED exploded on the Marte–Dikwa road, and in April 2025 an ambush on the same axis resulted in four soldiers dead and two trucks destroyed.