IED event in Borno State, Gamboru area, Nigeria on Sat 17th October 2026

Nigeria: Eight soldiers killed by a mine posed by jihadists on the border with Cameroon

In Nigeria, eight soldiers were killed on Saturday, October 17, when their vehicle hit a mine laid by jihadists. This serious incident took place in Borno State, the epicenter of jihadist violence, in the northeast of the country, very close to the border with Cameroon. The explosive device, placed on the road, was triggered remotely, according to initial information. 

The mine, which killed eight Nigerian soldiers and injured a member of a self-defense militia, appears to have been triggered using a detonating cord. The soldiers were killed while inspecting the work of anti-jihadist militias that were clearing the thickets along the access road to the city of Gamboru.

The jihadists use these thickets to hide and ambush military or civilian vehicles that take this road. The explosion occurred near the village of Kinuba. The detonation of this explosive device was attributed to Iswap, the Islamic State group in West Africa, emanating from Boko Haram.

This new attack occurred while the Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army was in the region. Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaidu was in Maiduguri, the regional capital of Borno, to encourage troops to defend peace and security, in the run-up to the elections in .

The visit came days after the death of 15 soldiers and five militiamen in an attack on the military base in Mairari, still in Borno State, but the army chief of staff did not mention the tragedy. Observers, on the other hand, noted the presence of American soldiers alongside Lieutenant Shaidu, during his inspection of the troops.

At the end of July, the United States announced the withdrawal of most of the 200 U.S. troops deployed for advisory and training missions to the Nigerian military.