At least 27 Nigerian soldiers killed in jihadist suicide attack: Army

27 Nigerian soldiers killed in jihadist attack, 18 dead in truck accident in Nigeria, highlighting ongoing violence and tragedy.

“At least 27 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a jihadist suicide attack in the northeast,” two army sources said on Sunday (January 26, 2025).

On Friday (January 24, 2025), troops launched a ground offensive on a stronghold of Islamic State-affiliated militants in a wasteland straddling Borno and Yobe states.

“The suicide attack killed 27 soldiers, including the commander, and left several others seriously injured,” a military officer said, making this one of the deadliest suicide attacks targeting soldiers in recent years.

He said the death toll could rise as some of the wounded were in a “critical condition”.

Meanwhile, Eighteen people were killed in a truck accident in south-eastern Nigeria, authorities said on Sunday (January 26, 2025), a week after a petrol tanker explosion left at least 98 dead.

“A total of 31 people were involved in the crash,” said the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) authority following the accident near the town of Enugu.

“Ten were rescued with different degrees of injuries while three got rescued unharmed,” they added.