About eight Nigerian soldiers attached to the 24 Task Force Brigade, Dikwa, were reportedly killed after a military convoy escorting food supplies and logistics struck a suspected improvised explosive device on the Maiduguri to Dikwa road in Borno State.

The incident, which reportedly occurred on Thursday, involved a military gun truck leading a convoy transporting foodstuffs and other essential supplies back to the brigade’s base in Dikwa, according to military sources familiar with the operation.

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A military source said the leading vehicle triggered an explosive device allegedly planted by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an insurgent group that has intensified attacks on military movements in Nigeria’s North East.

“Yesterday, Thursday, the leading vehicle, a gun truck, ran into an IED on their way back to Dikwa from Maiduguri. All the soldiers in that vehicle died on the spot. About eight of them,” the source said.

As of Friday, the identities and ranks of the deceased personnel had not been officially released, while the Nigerian military had yet to issue a formal statement on the reported attack.

The latest incident adds to a series of deadly attacks targeting military convoys and logistics operations in Borno State.

Security experts say insurgent groups have increasingly relied on roadside bombs and carefully planned ambushes instead of direct confrontations with troops.

In June, three soldiers were killed and several others injured after a military vehicle struck an IED along the Marte to Dikwa road, another strategic supply corridor in the state.

In April 2025, suspected terrorists also ambushed a military convoy in the Dikwa axis, killing at least four soldiers and destroying two military trucks.

Military analysts believe the persistent attacks reflect a tactical shift by insurgent groups seeking to disrupt the movement of troops, fuel, food and other supplies between Maiduguri, Dikwa, Bama and other operational areas across Borno State.

The North East has remained the epicentre of Nigeria’s insurgency for more than 15 years.

Although the military has recorded successes against armed groups in several operations, attacks involving improvised explosive devices continue to pose one of the greatest threats to personnel and humanitarian movements in the region.