At least nine people have been killed in separate incidents involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Niger and Kwara states, raising fresh security concerns in the affected communities.
In Kwara, a vehicle triggered an IED along a road in Woro community, Kaiama Local Government Area, killing a man instantly and injuring a woman and her child.
In a related incident in Niger State, eight people lost their lives after a vehicle they were travelling in ran over an IED planted along Luma Road, Borgu Local Government Area.
The blast came weeks after suspected terrorists destroyed a bridge in the same area, disrupting movement and livelihoods.
The incident follows three suspected suicide bomb attacks which hit the Post Office, the Monday Market and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday, March 16, 2026.
At least 23 people were killed, and 108 were injured during the attacks.
Confirming the Woro explosion, the Kwara State Government raised fresh security concerns in the area already struggling with previous attacks.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, confirmed the incident on Monday.
He said the explosion involved an IED that detonated along a road some distance from the community on Monday morning.
The IED incident occurred on a road some distance from Woro. The device went off as a vehicle passed by on Monday morning,” Ajakaye stated.
He disclosed that the blast led to the instant death of a male victim, while a woman and her child, who were in the vehicle, were affected.
“Sadly, the man died instantly, while his passenger, a woman travelling with a little child, sustained injuries,” he said.
Ajakaye added that the injured woman had been taken to a hospital for immediate medical attention and was responding positively, while the child escaped unhurt.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Kaiama Local Government Chairman, ZulQharnain Shero Musa, had earlier confirmed the explosion to the media.
“There was an explosion around Woro this morning. The explosion claimed lives, though the number of casualties is not yet confirmed,” Musa said.
He added that preliminary reports suggested that the IED may have been planted by suspected insurgents.
“A car drove over an IED. We believe it was planted by Boko Haram members,” Musa explained.
The latest incident comes weeks after a deadly February assault on the Woro community, which left several residents dead and many others injured during a violent incursion by suspected armed groups.
In Niger, it was learnt that the IED was planted by terrorists who used a similar IED to destroy a bridge along Luma road, Borgu Local Government Area, connecting Luma-Babana-Agwara communities.
The bombed bridge connected towns along the route, particularly serving the Babanna major border market, which is held every Monday.
It was further learnt that a vehicle travelling between Nuku and Woro ran over the IED, killing the seven occupants and the driver when it exploded.
The spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the bombing of the bridge and said that clearance operations were ongoing.
“On 23rd March 2026, at about 6:30 a.m., we received a report that at around 2:00 a.m. on the same date, suspected terrorists in the park forest used an explosive device to bomb a bridge along Luma Road, Borgu LGA, connecting the Luma-Babana-Agwara communities.
“It was discovered that the bridge was damaged by the hoodlums, despite ongoing security operations in the area. Monitoring continues while clearance operations are intensified,” he said. – Punch.
