Eight people have been confirmed dead following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack carried out by suspected terrorists along Luma Road in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, 23 March 2026, also saw the destruction of a key bridge linking Luma, Babana, and Agwara communities, disrupting movement and economic activities in the area.
The damaged bridge serves as a major access route for residents travelling to the Babana border market, a weekly trading hub that operates every Monday.
Local sources disclosed that the attackers carried out multiple explosions across different locations, triggering panic and forcing residents to flee affected communities.
A source familiar with the development confirmed that the bridge was bombed around 5:00 a.m.
“In the early hours today (Monday) bandits stormed Borgu local government area of the state and bombed the Lunma- Babana bridge.
“The bridge has stopped the villagers from crossing to other parts of the communities especially to the Banana Monday Market to trade.
“Apart from bombing the bridge, the bandits were said to have also detonated bombs between Rafingiwa and Babana and another at Woro and Kaiama thereby making residents of the communities to flee the area,” the source declared.
Chairman of Borgu Local Government Area, Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, confirmed the attack, noting that authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage and casualties.
“There was actually an attack by the bandits and we are trying to verify the magnitude. A bridge was actually damaged.
“Already, we have sent people to the area to verify things for us,” the chairman explained.
