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Six suspected ISWAP bomb makers die in accidental IED blast in Borno
No fewer than six suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province were killed after an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, detonated prematurely in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources said the incident happened around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Jubilaram, where the insurgents were reportedly assembling the explosive device.
According to the sources, the explosion killed at least six of the suspected terrorists on the spot while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The incident occurred just hours after joint United States forces and the Nigerian Army reportedly eliminated a top ISWAP commander operating within the Lake Chad region.
Security operations against insurgents have intensified across the North-East in recent months as military authorities continue efforts to weaken terrorist activities in the region.
The sources said the group of IED makers was led by a suspected bomb expert identified as Abu Umar, who also died in the explosion alongside five other militants.
Three other members of the group reportedly sustained serious injuries in the incident.
According to intelligence assessments, the deceased suspects were part of ISWAP’s IED-making cell operating within the Marte–Kerenoa–Wulgo axis, a known corridor for insurgent movements in the Lake Chad Basin.
The explosion is believed to have occurred while the device was being prepared, leading to a premature detonation that destroyed the site and caused multiple casualties.
The death of Abu Umar and other identified bomb-making specialists could significantly disrupt the group’s improvised explosive device operations in the area.
The incident reportedly affected an IED manufacturing hub located between Arinna Maimasallaci and Arinna Ciki, which may now be temporarily nonoperational following the blast.
Military sources said the development could further degrade the operational capability of the Islamic State West Africa Province along key routes in the Marte axis.
Security authorities are reportedly considering follow-up air and ground operations to exploit the situation and further deny insurgents freedom of action in the area.
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