Landmine blast in Nigeria kills 7 loggers, injures 5 others

By Timothy Olanrewaji

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – At least seven loggers were killed and five others injured in Nigeria's volatile northeast Borno State when their vehicle hit a landmine allegedly planted by the Boko Haram terrorist organization, a local official said on Monday.

Bakura Abba, head of the local counter-terrorism volunteer guard or the Civilian Joint Task Force, told Anadolu that the incident occurred on Saturday morning in a remote area of Konduga, the center of a Local Government Area of the same name in northeast Borno State, when a truck carrying loggers hit a landmine.

"The loggers were looking for logs of wood to turn into charcoal for commercial purposes. Unfortunately, they were victims of a landmine, and seven of them died," he told Anadolu over the phone.

Five others were also injured and are currently being treated in a local hospital, he added.

The incident was not immediately known due to a breakdown in telecommunications in the area, which has been plagued by terrorist attacks for more than a decade, particularly by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Locals told Anadolu on Monday that terrorists plant explosives and mines on roads and near communities to target security forces, but landmines also kill civilians.