Five suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including four alleged bomb-making specialists and a medical officer, have reportedly been killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded while they were assembling it in Borno State.
According to security reports, the incident occurred at Maina Daya Village in Marte Local Government Area, between Sabon Tumbu and Jubilaram, about 29 kilometres east of Monguno.
The deceased were identified as a suspected ISWAP medical officer, Usman Dan Fulani, two foreign nationals reportedly serving as IED technicians, and two other alleged bomb-making experts.
Preliminary intelligence indicated that the group was preparing improvised explosive devices for planned attacks along key military supply routes within the Sector 1 area of Operation HADIN KAI when the explosion occurred.
Security sources believe the incident could temporarily disrupt ISWAP’s bomb-making operations and reduce the group’s capacity to carry out roadside IED attacks in the Marte–Monguno axis.
Military authorities have reportedly directed troops to intensify patrols, cordon-and-search operations and offensive missions across Monguno, Marte and Gamboru Ngala as security forces continue efforts to prevent the insurgents from regrouping and to verify details surrounding the incident.
