Monday, June 2, 2025 - At least nine people have been confirmed dead following the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) at a bus stop in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State. The blast, which occurred around 11 a.m. on Saturday, also left several others injured.
The speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim
Lawan, confirmed the incident on Sunday, describing it as “unfortunate.” He
said the victims were residents waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop
in the village.
“It is unfortunate that nine of my resilient constituents
were killed by planted IEDs while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop
in Mairari village,” Lawan was quoted as saying. “May Allah grant their souls
Aljanatul Firdaus. I also pray for the swift recovery of those evacuated to
hospitals in Monguno and Maiduguri for treatment following the incident.”
According to Lawan, the victims were mostly returnees and
displaced persons who had gone back to Mairari to engage in farming. He
explained that Mairari had previously been resettled with civil authority but
had once again become deserted due to attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
He added that insurgents, who had been monitoring the
movement of the villagers, planted the explosives at the bus stop. The IEDs
exploded while people were waiting to board commercial vehicles back to their
temporary shelters in Monguno, Guzamala, and Maiduguri.
Lawan extended condolences to the bereaved families and
called on the Nigerian military to intensify efforts to restore security in
Guzamala, particularly in Mairari and Gudumbali, the council headquarters, both
of which he said remain under Boko Haram control with no presence of civil
authority.
When contacted, Nahum Daso, spokesperson for the Borno State
Police Command, said he had yet to receive full details of the incident but
promised to provide updates as more information becomes available.
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