At least nine resilient travellers were brutally exterminated by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a makeshift bus stop in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, on Sunday morning.
Abdulkarim Lawan, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, confirmed the atrocity, lamenting that “nine of my resilient constituents were killed by planted IEDs today while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in Mairari village. May Allah grant their souls Aljanatul Firdaus.”
This inhumane act, attributed to Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists, has again exposed the Nigerian military’s failure to secure territories officially declared “cleared.”
Mairari’s Ruin: Twice Resettled, Now Deserted Again
Mairari had defied the odds when civil authorities courageously resettled it twice, only for terror to reclaim its ghostly silence.
Previously regarded as a resettlement success, the village remains deserted, with survivors seeking refuge in Monguno, Guzamala and Maiduguri.
“They engage in their farms,” Lawan explained, describing how displaced residents return periodically to cultivate ancestral lands and rely on local transport to reach farmlands.
That routine journey became a death sentence as terrorists, monitoring these movements, clandestinely planted IEDs at the bus stop, detonating on impact.
Ten-Year Terror Tenacity: Guzamala Still Under Insurgent Heel
Guzamala LGA remains under the iron grip of Boko Haram/ISWAP despite repeated calls for military intervention.
Lawan reiterated his plea that “the military should take over the entire Guzamala Local Government Area… to restore civil authority,” stressing that “the local government area… has remained under Boko Haram territory.”
For over a decade, civilians have been barred from returning home, forced into IDP camps and refugee settlements, with developmental projects skipped and local governance paralysed.
IED Epidemic: Shocking Casualty Statistics
Instead of abating, the North-east’s IED scourge has surged alarmingly. Data by security consultant Group Captain S.G. Shehu shows that in 2023, Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states recorded 376 ordnance explosion incidents, inflicting 151 civilian casualties; in 2022, not less than 639 explosions caused 223 civilian deaths.
A five-year context reveals a harrowing total of 1,366 explosions, further underlining the insurgents’ sophisticated capability in manufacturing and deploying IEDs.
Undetonated explosive remnants continue to stalk farmlands and transit routes, stalling economic activities and displacing vulnerable populations in returnee Local Government Areas, where casualties spiked by 100 percent in Gwoza and Mobbar, and by 88 percent in Ngala between June 2022 and early 2024.
Military Fatigue vs. Terrorist Resilience
In theory, Operation Hadin Kai—launched to obliterate Boko Haram/ISWAP enclaves—has chalked up notable successes. Between 27 February and 5 March 2025 alone, troops neutralised 34 terrorists and recovered 19 AK-47 rifles, seven RPG bombs and multiple ammunitions during offensive operations in Bama, Gwoza, Konduga, Monguno, Ngala, Kukawa and Mafa LGAs.
Furthermore, in January 2025, a fierce counter-offensive in the Timbuktu Triangle resulted in the neutralisation of 18 ISWAP insurgents, including three high-profile commanders—Talha (women leader), Mallam Umar (RPG trainer) and Abu Yazeed (Brigade Commander)—as part of Operation Desert Sanity IV.
Yet Abu Fatima—an ISWAP commander with a N100 million bounty—was also reported killed by the Nigerian Army in May 2025, symbolising a tactical victory amid strategic frustration.
Despite these gains, terrorists continue to strike military convoys and bases: in late January 2025, a VBIED in Gardiri Base killed several soldiers, and on 24 January, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a troop convoy in Malam Fatori, slaughtering 27 soldiers.
Insurgent Toll: Civilian Hearts Laid to Waste
The national cost of this insurgency is staggering. In the first half of 2024, the Office of the National Security Adviser reported that troops killed 9,303 terrorists, arrested 6,998, and collected 9,562 surrenders, while rescuing 4,641 hostages.
Concurrently, more than 1,250 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to the Army after deadly clashes with ISWAP in October 2024, further complicating the insurgency landscape.
UNHCR estimates nearly 35,000 persons have perished since 2009, while Nigeria’s NBS data suggests 188,992 deaths in the North-east between May 2023 and April 2024 alone.
Argument: Military Must Seize Guzamala, Not Just Contest It
With Mairari deserted again and countless lives lost to IEDs, Lawan’s call is not merely a plea—it is an ultimatum. The Nigerian military cannot continue to declare territories “liberated” while civilians are massacred at bus stops.
A decisive strategy must replace episodic offensives: the deployment of a permanent brigade in Guzamala LGA, combined with enhanced Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) for local volunteers, must be prioritised.
For too long, the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, has relied on hit-and-run tactics that yield kill counts but leave civilian infrastructure electrified with fear.
Unless the military physically occupies and clears Guzamala—cutting off insurgent supply lines and restoring civil authority—villagers will continue to farm amid death traps.
Conclusion: A State Held Hostage
Nine souls were obliterated in Mairari for daring to hope for a peaceful return. This tragedy is a glaring indictment of the state’s inability to secure its most vulnerable citizens.
The argument is clear: reclaiming Guzamala LGA in its entirety is not optional but essential for any credible path to lasting peace.
Anything less remains a hollow promise, perpetuating the cycle of insurgent terror that thrives on our apathy.
Additional reporting from Suleiman Adamu and Peter Jene
