A car and a truck, both part of a humanitarian aid convoy heading to Gamboru, ran over improvised explosive devices (IEDs/landmines) planted by suspected jihadists. The explosions killed three people and injured several others.
8 Jan 2024 · Gamboru-Maiduguri, Gamboru/Ngala, Borno
Deaths
3
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
3
Perpetrators
Boko Haram/ISWAP
Response
Troops patrolling the highway promptly arrived at the scene and safely detonated three other IEDs found in the vicinity, preventing further casualties
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
This route is a vital trade link between Nigeria and Cameroon, and both Boko Haram and ISWAP frequently attack convoys and plant landmines there to disrupt commerce, terrorize civilians, and challenge government authority
Trajectory
The attack on the humanitarian convoy is part of a wider trend of increased IED and landmine usage in 2024. The number of landmine casualties in Nigeria quadrupled between 2022 and 2024 compared to the entire previous decade
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier attacks including 31 May 2018 – Pridang–Bitta road IED ambush targeting military movement, 29 June 2018 – Banki landmine incident following an IDP camp raid, 30 August 2019 – Gasarwa convoy ambush combining explosives with direct fire, 23 March 2020 – Goneri (the Gorge) ambush involving secondary detonation of military explosives, and 17 January 2021 – Gorgi multi-IED field attack against armored convoy, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province increasingly deploy roadside IEDs and landmines along strategic highways—targeting both military and humanitarian convoys to disrupt movement, inflict casualties, and assert control over critical cross-border corridors in northeastern Nigeria.
Pattern
Highway Ambush
Related — Bombing/IED
A vehicle carrying civilians was traveling as part of a convoy escorted by the Nigerian military when it struck a landmine planted by Boko Haram insurgents. The explosion killed three people, including the driver, and wounded 11 passengers.
A bomb planted inside a wheelbarrow exploded in Bayan Garin area of Bauchi city, a neighborhood known for clusters of bars and entertainment spots. The blast killed a 10-year-old boy (some reports say six-year-old) and wounded 10 others. The explosion occurred near a relaxation spot, sending panic through the area.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the central mosque near the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Ibn Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, in Maiduguri. The attack occurred just after Friday prayers attended by the Shehu and the Borno State Deputy Governor, Zanna Umar Mustapha. Both men escaped unharmed. The blast killed five people, including the bomber, and injured six others (two soldiers among them).