Maiduguri, Borno State – Eight members of an anti-jihadist civilian joint task force, vital in supporting the Nigerian military, were killed on Tuesday when their vehicle struck a landmine in northeastern Borno State. The devastating incident occurred as the militia members were returning from Marte, a town in the Lake Chad area, where they had assisted in repelling a recent jihadist assault on a military base.
The blast, which happened around 2:00 PM (1300 GMT) between the towns of Marte and Dikwa, claimed the lives of all eight individuals onboard, according to Babakura Kolo, a leader within the anti-jihadist militia. “Their vehicle hit the landmine… killing all eight of them onboard,” Kolo confirmed .
The victims were part of a contingent of civilian fighters who had remained in Marte to bolster the military’s presence after a mid-May attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on a military base in the town. That earlier assault had resulted in the deaths of four soldiers, the seizure of weapons, and the torching of the facility. Ibrahim Liman, another militia leader, corroborated the casualties, stating that the bodies were transported to Maiduguri, approximately 90 kilometers away, for burial this morning.
This tragic loss underscores the persistent dangers faced by both military personnel and allied civilian forces in the ongoing battle against insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. The Nigerian military, on Tuesday, confirmed their troops had successfully thwarted a jihadist attempt to “infiltrate” the Marte base, with air support leading to the “decimation of several fleeing terrorists.” While the military acknowledged two soldiers were killed in that particular encounter, the landmine incident adds a grim dimension to the conflict.
ISWAP and its rival, Boko Haram, have significantly escalated their attacks on communities and military bases across Borno and neighboring Adamawa and Yobe states in recent months. An AFP tally indicates that over a dozen military bases have been overrun by these groups in the past two months alone.
The 16-year jihadist conflict has exacted a heavy toll, claiming over 40,000 lives and displacing approximately two million people from their homes in the northeast, according to the United Nations. The violence has also spilled over into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to counter the jihadist threat.
This latest incident serves as a stark reminder of the volatile security situation in the region and the bravery of those on the front lines against these relentless insurgent groups.
