A TOTAL of 1,934 improvised explosive device (IED) incidents were recorded across Nigeria’s North-East region between 2017 and 2024, highlighting the persistent threat posed by insurgent activities in the area.
According to the 2025 Nigeria Mine Action review obtained by News Point Nigeria on Wednesday, road-emplaced IEDs accounted for the majority of attacks throughout the seven-year period, significantly outnumbering both body-borne and vehicle-borne incidents.
The report noted that road IEDs remained consistently high year after year, making them the most persistent and enduring security threat in the region.
A breakdown of the yearly data shows that 2017 recorded the highest number of incidents, with a total of 381 attacks. These included 165 road-emplaced IEDs, 211 body-borne devices, four vehicle-borne incidents, and one other device.
In 2018, the total number of incidents dropped to 267, comprising 149 road IEDs, 99 body-borne devices, and 10 vehicle-borne attacks.
The figure declined further in 2019 to 189 cases, made up of 117 road IEDs, 32 body-borne devices, four vehicle-borne incidents, four other devices, and 32 explosive remnants of war (ERW).
However, in 2020, the number of incidents rose again to 249. This included 187 road IEDs, 23 body-borne devices, six vehicle-borne incidents, two other devices, and 31 ERW cases.
The upward trend continued in 2021, with incidents increasing to 281. Of these, 228 were road IEDs, alongside five body-borne devices, 10 vehicle-borne incidents, 23 other devices, and 15 ERW.
In 2022, the total number dropped to 185 incidents, comprising 160 road IEDs, nine vehicle-borne attacks, five other devices, and 11 ERW, with no body-borne incidents recorded that year.
The report recorded 191 incidents in 2023, including 161 road IEDs, three vehicle-borne incidents, four other devices, and 23 ERW cases.
Similarly, 2024 also saw 191 incidents, made up of 174 road IEDs, four body-borne devices, five vehicle-borne incidents, and eight other devices.
Nigeria has continued to face a sustained threat from IEDs deployed by terrorist groups, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions.
Over the years, insurgents have adapted their tactics, making the devices increasingly sophisticated and more lethal, thereby posing significant risks to security personnel, civilians, and critical infrastructure.
Speaking on the evolving threat, the Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Adamu Laka, said IEDs remain one of the most devastating challenges faced by troops during counter-terrorism operations, especially in the North-East and North-West.
He made this known at a Counter-Improvised Explosive Device workshop held in Abuja on March 11, 2026.
According to him, the use of such devices has continued to evolve, with insurgents constantly developing new methods of detonation.
“From 2011 to 2017, I saw how the use of IEDs in the North-East evolved. It moved from wire control and telephone control to pressure plates,” he said.
“Each time one method of activating an IED was addressed, the insurgents found new ways to improve how they detonated it.
“At one point, we were able to remove the IED from the ground and take it out—though I may not know the exact technical term, as I am not an engineer officer.
“In response, the insurgents began placing another device on top of the pressure plate. By the time the first device holding the pressure plate was removed, the second one would explode.
“I can tell you that the effect is devastating. To this day, Nigeria is still facing this threat.”