One Killed, Several Injured As Vehicle Strikes Bandit IED In Sokoto

A passenger vehicle struck an improvised explosive device allegedly planted by suspected bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road in Sokoto State on Sunday, with sources giving conflicting accounts of casualties.

Vanguard reported that one person was feared dead while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, raising fresh concerns over the growing use of explosive devices by criminal groups in the North-West.

A security analyst based in the area, Bashir Altine Guyawa, disclosed the incident in a post on his Facebook page, describing it as another reminder of the persistent security challenges confronting communities along the border axis.

Vanguard reported that eyewitnesses said the force of the explosion scattered parts of the vehicle across the road, while survivors and passers-by rushed to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage.

Daily Post reported that several traders were injured after the commercial vehicle struck a suspected landmine along the Sabon Birni–Kurawa Road.

According to Daily Post, a counter-insurgency expert wrote on X that the explosive device was believed to have been intended for troops responding to an operation in the area, and that there were no fatalities among the civilians, though several passengers sustained injuries.

The report has not yet been officially confirmed by the security authorities.

Sources: Vanguard; Daily Post