A Nigerian Army captain and two soldiers have been feared dead after their patrol vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) during a routine operation in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

A security source said the incident occurred on Tuesday at Maciyan-Kyada village in Babanna Ward when troops on patrol from Babanna town drove over an IED suspected to have been planted by terrorists.

According to the source, the patrol team departed Babanna at about 10 am, before one of its vehicles triggered the explosive. Two other soldiers sustained severe injuries in the blast.

A resident, who confirmed the incident, identified one of the deceased as Yusuf Kabir, saying the explosion had heightened tension in the community.

Military authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.

Security sources said the explosive device was detected during a routine clearance operation at Dowoshi. Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel later detonated it safely without casualties or damage.

The operation prevented a potential attack on troops and civilian road users using the strategic supply route linking Cross Kauwa, Kekeno and Monguno.

In Zamfara State, security forces rescued a kidnapped staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), repelled coordinated bandit attacks and recovered hundreds of rustled cattle during separate operations in Gummi, Talata Mafara and Gusau Local Government Areas.

Security sources, according to counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama, said heavily armed bandits riding on about 50 motorcycles attacked villages in Ruwan Bore District, Talata Mafara, on July 7. They said hundreds of cattle were rustled.

A woman sustained a gunshot injury from a stray bullet and was taken to the General Hospital, Talata Mafara, for treatment.

The attackers later abducted an INEC staff member, Aliyu Mohammed, along the Gummi-Sokoto Road after he had transported National Examinations Council (NECO) examination scripts from Gummi to Sokoto.

His official Toyota Hilux vehicle was later recovered abandoned at Tafkin Area by police operatives, who also secured the examination scripts and handed them over to the principal of Government Unity Secondary School, Gummi, for onward delivery to the appropriate NECO office in Sokoto.

Following intelligence that armed bandits had regrouped inside Gando Forest and received reinforcements from neighbouring Sokoto and Kebbi states, the Zamfara State Police Command deployed its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to support troops already conducting operations in the area.

The combined security team engaged the bandits in a gun battle in the early hours of July 8, forcing them to retreat into the forest with casualties.

The kidnapped INEC official and another victim were rescued unharmed, while the recovered cattle were returned to their owners.

In another operation at Kwanar Ganuwa in Gusau Local Government Area, security personnel responded to reports of the abduction of motorists and farmers. After a gun battle, the bandits fled, abandoning their captives, who were rescued unhurt.

Commissioner of Police (CP) A.M. Bello reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustained operations against banditry and urged residents to continue providing credible intelligence to security agencies.

In another development, intelligence sources said a cholera outbreak had reportedly killed nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, one of the group’s strongholds in Borno State.

The sources attributed the outbreak to poor sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the terrorists’ camps.

They further claimed that two infected fighters were allegedly executed by fellow insurgents after efforts to treat them failed.

According to the sources, the outbreak reflects worsening health conditions within the camps following sustained military operations that have disrupted the group’s logistics and access to medical supplies.

The sources added that efforts were ongoing to prevent medical supplies from reaching terrorist enclaves as part of wider operations to weaken the group’s operational capability.

Also in Borno, troops of the 26 Task Force Brigade intercepted a 20-year-old woman and her two-year-old child near the Mandara Mountains while she was allegedly attempting to enter a terrorist-controlled enclave.

Security sources said the woman, identified as Aisha Idrisa, was arrested on July 4 while on routine picket duty along the Gwoza-Pulka Road.

Items recovered from her included an Itel mobile phone, an extra battery and personal belongings.

The sources said she claimed during preliminary questioning that she was heading to her farm, but available intelligence prompted troops to detain her for further investigation. (The Nation)