At least nine people lost their lives on Saturday after a bomb exploded at a local bus park in Mairari village, Guzamala district of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. The attack is believed to have been carried out by armed groups that have intensified assaults across the region in recent months.
Abdulkarim Lawan, the area’s representative and speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, said the device was planted at the transport station where villagers had gathered, waiting to board commercial vehicles. He confirmed that the explosion occurred as passengers were preparing to leave the area, killing nine people on the spot and injuring several others.
According to Lawan, Mairari village has experienced repeated attacks, leaving it largely abandoned. He noted that armed groups have increasingly relied on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target civilians. “They had been monitoring the movements of these people and planted IEDs at the bus stop, which exploded while they waited for transport,” he said.
The Borno State police spokesperson, Nahum Kenneth Daso, confirmed the incident but stated that further details were still being gathered.
Witnesses at the scene described the moment of the blast. Bunu Bukar, a trader who was present at the bus park, said the bomb exploded just as a group of passengers were boarding a minibus. The blast resulted in multiple fatalities and caused serious injuries among those nearby.
Borno State has been the center of a prolonged conflict that has lasted more than 16 years, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing large numbers of people from their homes. Since the beginning of the year, attacks by armed factions have been on the rise, with civilian areas and security posts frequently targeted.
The use of hidden explosives in public spaces such as transport hubs has become a common tactic. Saturday’s attack adds to a growing list of deadly incidents that highlight the ongoing insecurity in the region and the continued vulnerability of residents caught in the crossfire.