An improvised explosive device (IED) has killed an artisanal miner, Abubakar Dahiru, on a rural road in Niger State.
Sources in the area said the incident happened Monday afternoon as Mr Dahiru was returning from Udawa, a neighbouring town in Kaduna State, where he had taken his niece for school resumption.
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“It happened in Lukope village,” one source said, pleading for anonymity to protect himself. “He stepped on the device with his motorcycle.”
The village where the incident occurred is near Kwaki, an area considered a stronghold of notorious terror kingpin, Dogo Gide.
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At press time, the deceased’s body was being transported back to Erena, a refugee and garrison town.
The last time a similar incident was reported in the area was in 2025, when seven IEDs were planted by a Boko Haram faction, which has now moved to the Kainji axis.
The spokesperson for the Niger State police command, Wasiu Abiodun, has not responded to an enquiry about the incident.
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Who is responsible?
Locals said they could not attribute the incident to Boko Haram terrorists because they shifted base about seven months ago.
“Sadiku group (the Boko Haram faction) has relocated to the Kainji area, and we cannot say they are responsible for this attack,” a displaced community leader told PREMIUM TIMES.
Another source, a local miner, said some (Boko Haram) fighters defected to Dogo Gide’s group.
“These defectors know about IED making,” he said, believing they were responsible.
Why the attack?
Locals could not say why the bomb was planted on the road.
However, they believe that the terrorists had been informed about the “massive” deployment of soldiers to Erena.
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The garrison town already has a Forward Operating Base (FOB) comprising about 50 joint operatives. Local security officials told our reporter that more troops were deployed on Monday in preparation for an offensive on the terrorists at their camps along Chukuba and Kwaki.
“They (terrorists) must have been informed about the plan,” a local vigilante said. “So the attack may be strategic.”
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