Five suspected ISWAP fighters, including an alleged medical officer and four IED specialists, were killed in a premature explosion while assembling bombs in Marte Local Government Area, Borno State, according to security sources cited by counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama.
The blast occurred at Maina Daya Village, between Sabon Tumbu and Jubilaram, roughly 29 kilometres east of Monguno. Those killed were identified as Usman Dan Fulani, described as an ISWAP medical officer, alongside two foreign Arab IED technicians and two local bomb-making experts. Sources said the group was preparing explosives for attacks along military supply routes in Operation HADIN KAI’s Sector 1 area.
Security analysts said the loss of experienced bombmakers could temporarily weaken ISWAP’s roadside bomb capability along the Marte-Monguno axis. Military sources say troops have been directed to intensify patrols and cordon-and-search operations around Monguno, Marte and Gamboru Ngala to prevent the group from rebuilding its IED network.
This marks at least the second such premature-explosion incident reported in the same general corridor this year, following a similar blast in May that killed six ISWAP bombmakers.
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