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No fewer than six suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province have been killed following a premature Improvised Explosive Device detonation in the Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, security sources said.
The incident occurred at about 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Jubilaram, where the terrorists were reportedly assembling an explosive device, according to sources.
The group of IED makers was led by a suspected bomb expert identified as Abu Umar, who also died in the explosion alongside five other militants, the sources said. Three other members of the group reportedly sustained serious injuries.
The explosion is believed to have occurred while the device was being prepared, leading to a premature detonation that destroyed the site and caused multiple casualties.
According to intelligence assessments, the deceased suspects were part of ISWAP’s IED-making cell operating within the Marte–Kerenoa–Wulgo axis, a known corridor for insurgent movements in the Lake Chad Basin.
The incident reportedly affected an IED manufacturing hub located between Arinna Maimasallaci and Arinna Ciki, which may now be temporarily nonoperational following the blast.
The death of Abu Umar and other identified bomb-making specialists could significantly disrupt the group’s improvised explosive device operations in the area, sources said.
Military sources said the development could further degrade the operational capability of ISWAP along key routes in the Marte axis.
Security authorities are reportedly considering follow-up air and ground operations to exploit the situation and further deny insurgents freedom of action in the area.
The incident comes barely a few hours after joint US forces and the Nigerian Army executed one of the top ISWAP commanders operating in the Lake Chad region.
