It is reportedly flares up in areas that have long been plagued by West Africa (ISWAP) and Boko Haram ISIL affiliates.
At least 26 people were killed when the truck hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Nigeria.
The explosion on Monday killed men, women and children in Borno province near the border with Cameroon, according to the military and residents. The region has been plagued by armed groups including West Africa’s ISIL Affiliates (ISWAP) and Boko Haram for decades.
“Twenty-six people died in the explosion, consisting of 16 men, four women and six children,” a military officer speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP news agency, adding that three more passengers were seriously injured.
Borno State Police did not immediately provide comment.
The International NGO Safety Agency, which provides security to foreign non-governmental organizations in northeastern Nigeria, said in an internal memo seen by Reuters News Agency that vehicles travelling through the towns of Ran and Gambourgala have attacked the IED.
“I attended funerals for 26 people who were killed in the explosion. Most of them were burned beyond recognition,” Akram Saad, a resident of the nearby town of Ran, told AFP.
The video showed a row of bodies in white plastic bags laid on the floor of the Lands General Hospital morgue.
No one has argued responsibility for the attack. However, Aba Amma Muhammad, whose mother was killed, condemned the Boko Haram incident.
Violent flare
The Boko Haram uprising has plagued northeastern Nigeria for the past 15 years, killing more than 40,000 people. The government claims that despite the persistent attacks, the group is largely defeated.
ISWAP is also active in Northern Borno, launching sporadic ambushings in the convoy and planting mines along the highway.
The explosion has risen to at least 50 amid a recent flare-up of violence in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram killed about 10 “vigilantes” from the Adamawa State’s Joint Private Task Force (CJTF), sources reported Monday, according to AFP.
On Thursday, the group killed 14 farmers in Borno’s Gwoza district, local officials said.
Borno Governor Babagana Umala Zulum told Nigerian Defense Minister and military chief on Friday that Boko Haram and Iswap were seizing themselves in the Lake Chad Islands, the Sambisa Forest and Mandala Mountains on the border with Cameroon as a result of “military exile.”
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