At least nine people have been confirmed dead following a devastating Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack at a bus stop in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, North-East Nigeria, in what authorities described as another grim reminder of the insurgency’s reach.
Abdulkarim Lawan, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, confirmed the incident and described it as a tragedy for his constituents, stating: “It is unfortunate that nine of my resilient constituents were killed by planted IEDs today while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in Mairari village. May Allah grant their souls Aljanatul Firdaus.”
According to Mr Lawan, several others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment following the Sunday morning blast. He explained that Mairari, once the only village in Guzamala LGA where civil authority was restored, had become deserted again due to repeated Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks.
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“As resilient people, most of them who are taking refuge in Monguno, Guzamala and Maiduguri usually visit Mairari community and engage in their farms,” the Speaker noted, adding that terrorists, having monitored the villagers’ movements, planted the explosives that detonated as they waited for transport.
He described the attack as “inhumane” and renewed calls for the military to reclaim Guzamala, saying, “Let me reiterate my appeal for the military to take over the entire Guzamala Local Government Area, which has remained under Boko Haram territory, so as to restore civil authority.”
Despite recent military gains, including the killing of a high-ranking ISWAP commander, Abu Fatima, who had a ₦100 million bounty on his head, security remains volatile across the region. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu recently disclosed that over 13,000 insurgents have been killed in the last two years, with more than 124,000 surrendering, but the violence persists, with PREMIUM TIMES reporting that 1,457 people have been killed and over 900 kidnapped in the North-East since President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
The latest attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by insurgent groups who continue to target civilians and security operatives alike in a conflict now spanning over a decade.
