At least 121 civilians and security personnel have reportedly died from Boko Haram Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosions in Borno and Yobe states, data compiled by Daily Trust has revealed.
However, the figures, covering incidents from January 2024 to June 2025, exclude unreported cases, suggesting that the actual toll may be higher.
According to the data, 77 civilians, 27 soldiers and 17 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were killed in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosions within the 16 months.
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Of the 121 recorded deaths, 56 occurred in 2024, while 65 were recorded in the first half of 2025, indicating a surge in bomb attacks this year.
Hundreds of others sustained injuries, with many left permanently disabled.
These attacks have heightened fears among security operatives and civilians travelling across Borno North and South, with sources predicting a potential increase in incidents as the rainy season sets in.
Last Friday, troops of Operation HADIN KAI announced the recovery of 60 heavily primed IEDs under a bridge connecting Marte and Dikwa.
Captain Reuben Kovangiya, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, said the devices were stashed by terrorists to inflict mass casualties and destroy critical national infrastructure.
"The recovery has indeed thwarted a disaster that could have occurred in the area," he said.
Timeline of attacks in 16 months
On June 26, 2025, a landmine planted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed four people and injured 10 others along the Maiduguri-Damboa highway in Borno State.
Police spokesperson ASP Kenneth Nahum Daso confirmed that the victims were in a minivan heading to Maiduguri. The injured were taken to the Borno State Specialist Hospital for treatment.
District Head of Damboa, Lawan Maina, also confirmed the attack and urged security operatives to intensify patrols.
"The road has remained deadly over the past two months due to frequent IED explosions," he had said.
Also, a female suicide bomber on June 20, 2025, detonated explosives near a local cinema beside a fish market in Konduga LGA, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.
ASP Daso said the attacker infiltrated a civilian crowd before detonating the IED strapped to her body.
A resident who witnessed the incident said, "We were bargaining for fish when we heard the explosion. It was a gory sight."
Konduga is located about 36km from Maiduguri.
Similarly, a truck, on April 28, 2025, hit an IED between Rann and Gamborou Ngala near the Cameroon border, killing 26 people - 16 men, four women and six children - and injuring three others.
A military source confirmed the incident, while ISWAP later claimed responsibility.
In January 2025, at least 27 soldiers were reportedly killed in Gujba LGA, Yobe State, after a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden van into a military camp during a ground offensive.
Abba Godori, Vice Chairman of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Kawuri, Konduga LGA, was killed by a landmine while patrolling on January 21, 2025.
A witness said he stepped on the device, which was planted by Boko Haram terrorists.
Multiple female suicide bombers attacked a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral in Gwoza, Borno State, on January 30, 2024, killing 18 people and injuring dozens.
Dr. Barkindo Saidu, then head of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the series of coordinated attacks.
On July 31, 2024, a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a marketplace in Kauri, Konduga, killing 19 people, while on December 24, 2024, a suicide bomber targeted mourners in Dalori, near Maiduguri, killing two people and injuring three others.
Four travellers, including three women, on May 4, 2024, were killed and seven injured when their vehicle hit a landmine along the Maiduguri-Gamborou Ngala highway near Gajibo village in Dikwa LGA.
Five CJTF members were killed and several others injured after stepping on a landmine along the Maiduguri-Gamborou Ngala highway in Dikwa LGA on April 28, 2024.
On April 27, 2024, eight CJTF members died, and three others were injured when their vehicle struck an IED planted by ISWAP in Gamboru LGA. The group was travelling to Maiduguri from Gamboru Ngala.
Ten passengers, including a CJTF member, on April 17, 2024, were killed and 20 others were injured after a commercial vehicle ran over a landmine planted at a roadside in Borno State.
Two CJTF members were killed and eight others injured by an IED in Mafa town, Mafa LGA of Borno State. The incident happened on January 17, 2024.
Explosive detonated in Yobe, as Kano bans scrap metal from the North East
The Yobe State Police Command recently safely detonated a high-velocity military-grade explosive near its headquarters in Damaturu.
SP Dungus Abdulkarim said the bomb, likely discarded by scrap dealers, was found along Potiskum Road, behind the NTA office.
"The explosion may be audible in parts of Damaturu. Please remain calm, it poses no harm," he said.
The command warned scrap dealers against collecting unidentified metal objects, referencing a June 22, 2025, incident where an explosive went off at a scrap yard in Kano, killing 15 people.
Yobe State Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Ado, said, "Anyone found buying or selling such materials will be arrested and prosecuted for endangering lives."
Also, in response to the Kano blast, the state government banned the importation of scrap metal from the North East states.
Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Ibrahim Umaru, announced the ban, saying, "We traced the origin of the explosive to scrap from the North East, a region long affected by insurgency. This directive is a preventive measure to protect lives and property."
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President Bola Tinubu has consistently condemned Boko Haram's IED attacks on civilians and troops. Reacting to the Konduga bombing, he described the act as "cowardly."
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the president expressed anguish over the attacks and directed security agencies to clear Boko Haram remnants.
He also instructed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide support to survivors.
Attacks aim to sabotage democracy - Expert
Security expert and former DSS State Director, Barrister Mike Ejiofor, said the surge in landmine attacks is a deliberate attempt to destabilise Nigeria's democratic process.
He said, "Boko Haram doesn't believe in democracy. With political campaigns underway, they are renewing attacks to sabotage the process.
"But Nigerian security forces are turning up the heat. Their recent successes in arresting and eliminating key leaders show the terrorists are losing ground.
"They want to erode public confidence in the government, but they are failing thanks to intensified intelligence from the SSS."
Ejiofor praised the recovery of the 60 IEDs by troops and urged the government to enhance the capacity of security forces to act on intelligence promptly.
"With proper support, our security forces will overcome them, especially now that the terrorists are resorting to soft target attacks as a diversionary tactic," he added.
