A Captain and two of his men have reportedly lost their lives in an Improvised Explosive Device explosion at Maciyan-Kyada village in Babanna ward, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. 

A security source told Daily Trust that two other soldiers sustained severe injuries during the explosion.

The source said troops left Babanna town around 10am on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 on a routine patrol in the area, when one of the patrol vans stepped on an IED suspected to have been planted on the road by terrorists.

“The IED explosion involved soldiers. They were on a routine patrol when their patrol van stepped on the IED buried on the road by the terrorists. Three soldiers lost their lives including a captain and two others sustained injuries. The village where the incident happened is under Babanna ward,” he said. 

A resident of the area, who also confirmed the incident to the publication gave the name of one of the soldiers as Yusuf Kabir.

He said the incident had further heightened tension in the area.

Military authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of the time of filing this report.