Suspected ISWAP landmine kills six locals in Borno

Six persons died on Monday with several others injured after suspected members of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) planted Improvised Explosive Devices along Gamboru-Ngala road in the Ngala Local Government Area of Borno state.

Speaking with Channels Television on Tuesday, a humanitarian worker said the first incident involved a commercial pickup vehicle in which three persons died at the spot.

The source said another IED killed two members of the local vigilantes who arrived at the scene to offer assistance for the injured victims.

Although the military and local authorities have not yet reacted to the attack at the time of filing this report, Channels Television also gathered that one member of the Civilian Joint Task Force patrolling the Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala federal highway was also shot dead while one other was injured.

Governor Babagana Zulum who re-opened the federal highway last week after three years of shut down, had spent three days with the returnees in Gamboru and Wulgo communities to personally distribute cash, food and non-food items for the returnees.

The Gamboru-to-Maiduguri highway is a strategic 140-kilometre (87-mile) trade route in the region, and provides an important link with neighbouring Cameroon.

The latest attack is likely to create more fear in the hearts of the returnees who needed more security to go about their economic activities.

The 12-year insurgency in Nigeria has killed more thousands of people since 2009 and displaced many from their homes.(Channels TV)