Twelve persons have been killed and a further 13 injured by explosives planted by suspected Boko Haram members in Shiroro LGA of Niger State within three months, as the terrorists devised new methods to attack locals.
In the latest incident on Saturday, two explosives were discovered along the Bassa-Erena road near Kasmani village.
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Although no casualty was recorded, residents continue to live in fear as one of the explosives remains in the sand undetonated.
The explosives were spotted by locals, two persons and a security source told PREMIUM TIMES.
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The latest incident
“A man was riding on his motorcycle to Erena that day when he came across a more bumpy side of the road,” one of the locals who spoke to us in confidence for security reasons said.
“The man parked his bike and moved closer to observe the area,” he continued. “He realised it might be an IED. He then went back to Bassa to inform the vigilantes there.”
The vigilantes discovered that two explosives were planted on the same road, one of them told our reporter.
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“We went to the place and saw two bombs,” the vigilante, who pleaded anonymity because he was not permitted to grant a press interview, said.
He explained that his team removed one of the explosives but could not exhume the other one.
“We set fire on that one that we could not remove, hoping that it would explode, but it is still there,” he said, adding that the road had been blocked as a safety measure.
PREMIUM TIMES sent an SMS to Abdullahi Garba, the Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, about what the government is doing to stop the recurring bomb attacks in the area.
At press time, Mr Garba, a retired major-general, had not responded to the inquiry.
Deaths on the road
In less than three months, at least 10 civilians and two military personnel have died in explosive-related incidents in Shiroro LGA, Niger State. These incidents also injured about 13 people including nine soldiers.
In December last year, Boko Haram terrorists operating along the Bassa and Allawa axes planted at least four explosives that killed three persons and injured four others.
Three of the incidents happened on 19 December 2024, killing two and injuring four. Three siblings — Mali, Nehemiah and Jona — were going to their farm from Bassa village when they stepped on an explosive. One of them, a minor, lost his leg, and the two others sustained injuries.
On 7 December 2024, an explosive planted along Bassa-Unguwar Usman road killed a man, Isiyaku Gambo. The deceased was torn apart when he stepped on the IED.
In an explosive-related attack on 3 February 2024, seven people, including a local vigilante, were killed along the Allawa-Pandogari rural road. Many women and their children were also kidnapped in the incident.
Between February and December 2024, there were at least six such attacks. One of the incidents killed two soldiers newly deployed to Allawa town. The incident led to the withdrawal of military personnel from the garrison town.
The withdrawal, in turn, scared locals to flee their homes — they are now taking refuge in Erena, another garrison town plagued by an excruciating humanitarian crisis.
Boko Haram in Niger State
PREMIUM TIMES understands that Boko Haram insurgents are camping within the Maganda and Kugu axes of the Allawa forest reserve. These places link two terror-ravaged reserves – Kamuku National Park in Kaduna State and Kwiambana Forest in Zamfara State.
In 2021, the former governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello, raised the alarm that the Boko Haram terrorists had hoisted their flag in Kaure, a village in Shiroro LGA. The group is also present in places like Kurebe and other localities in the LGA.
The Allawa forest links villages like Bassa, Kukkoki and Gyramiya. From their Allawa enclave, the insurgents attack civilians and security personnel, including local vigilantes.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the recent clash between the bandit group of Dogo Gide and the Boko Haram faction led by one Mallam Sadiku.
The clash, which occurred in the Kwaki axis of Shiroro LGA Niger State, led to the killing of 20 Boko Haram fighters, according to a propaganda video by Mr Gide who accused Mr Sadiku of terrorising locals with explosives under the guise of jihad [holy war].
While Mr Gide is accusing Boko Haram of taking innocent lives, he also kills and kidnaps for a living. His reign of terror has left scars on the survivors of his raids on villages in Niger, Kebbi, Kaduna and Zamfara states.
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