No fewer than 11 persons have died and five injured when two vehicles drove over landmines in Gamboru-Ngala and Dikwa local government areas of Borno State over the last one week.

Those dead comprise nine personnel of the Civilian Joint Task Force, who died last Saturday, April 27 at Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area, and two civilians, who died Saturday, May 4 at Dikwa Local Government Area.

“Our personnel drove out of Ngala in the afternoon of last week Saturday; and just at the outskirts of the town, their vehicle drove over a landmine suspected to have been planted by terrorists,” Borno State CJTF spokesman, Bashir Abbas, disclosed to Sunday PUNCH.

“Nine of them died on the spot and two got serious injuries and were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, as the vehicle was completely damaged,” he confirmed.

“At about 1pm today (Saturday, May 4), a Honda SUV drove over a landmine between Dikwa and Damno in Dikwa LGA, which blasted, killing two persons and injured three others, all civilians,” a credible Borno Police Command source confirmed to Sunday PUNCH.

However, an eyewitness, Rawa Fannami, who is a resident of Dikwa, confirming the Damno-Dikwa incident, said, “Five persons died on the spot when the vehicle drove over the landmine.”

Fannami explained that the ill-fated vehicle was part of a wedding convoy conveying a bride from Damno to Dikwa. I was not in the vehicle carrying the bride.

He said the shattered remains of the deceased could only be gathered in sacks for burial.

Sunday PUNCH had earlier reported that many persons now die in landmine explosions suspected to either have been planted at the peak of the insurgency or currently as part of new strategies by the terrorists when they lack the capacity to carry out other forms of attack.

Up to the time of filing this report, 7 Div spokesman, Lt Col Ajemusu Jingina, could not be reached for comments on how the military would combat the new strategies by the terrorists. (Text, excluding headline: Sunday PUNCH)

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