North-East Most Affected As Nigeria Records 1,934 IED Explosions In Seven Years – Reports

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has disclosed that Nigeria recorded 1,934 incidents involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)  between 2017 and 2024, with the North-East accounting for most of the attacks.

Interpol also said neighbouring Cameroon recorded a 421 per cent increase in IED attacks between 2024 and 2025, with 99 casualties recorded in 2025 alone.

According to Vanguard, a specialised officer from the Interpol General Secretariat, Lasha Giorgidze, disclosed this in Abuja during the Watchmaker Post-Blast Investigation Training for security personnel from Nigeria and Cameroon.

Giorgidze said the security situation in areas affected by terrorism and insurgency remained alarming, especially as civilian casualties from IED attacks continued to rise.

The Interpol official said civilian harm from IED attacks in Nigeria rose sharply in 2024 when compared with the previous year.

He said, “In 2024 alone, civilian harm surged by 177 per cent compared to the previous year. In the first six months of 2025, we have already seen 65 fatalities, exceeding the full-year total of 2024.”

Giorgidze also cited the March 2026 coordinated suicide bombings in Maiduguri, which reportedly killed at least 27 persons and injured 146 others.

He said the continued use of IEDs by terrorist groups showed the need for stronger investigative capacity, intelligence sharing and regional cooperation.

Giorgidze explained that the joint Nigeria-Cameroon training was developed after Interpol’s 2024 assessments identified post-blast investigation as a major operational gap in both countries.

He said the shared border and common security challenges between Nigeria and Cameroon made collaboration necessary.

According to him, terrorist networks and materials used for explosive devices often move across borders, making it difficult for one country to tackle the threat alone.

He said, “IED components, precursor materials and financing networks in the Lake Chad Basin do not stop at checkpoints. They traverse national borders.”

The Interpol officer added that several reports showed that IEDs planted along supply routes accounted for about 60 per cent of casualties recorded in 2024.

Terrorists Using Advanced Tactics

Giorgidze warned that terrorist groups were becoming more sophisticated in their use of explosive devices.

He said criminal and terrorist networks were increasingly using pressure-plate initiators, command-detonated systems, secondary explosive devices and modified commercial drones.

According to him, these tactics have made post-blast investigation more important for security agencies working to identify suspects, trace networks and prevent future attacks.

He said the Abuja training was designed to help participants turn blast scenes into actionable intelligence that could disrupt terrorist operations.

Evidence Can Expose Terror Networks

The Interpol official said evidence recovered from blast scenes could help investigators identify the type of device used, how it was constructed, the source of materials and possible links to criminal or terrorist networks.

He said such information could support prosecution and help security agencies understand the movement of weapons, materials and funding channels.

The three-day training focuses on scene safety and cordon management, evidence collection and preservation, device reconstruction, forensic exploitation, intelligence development, chain-of-custody procedures and inter-agency information sharing through Interpol channels.

Giorgidze expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada for supporting counter-IED capacity-building efforts across West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin through the Watchmaker and CHEMEX programmes.

Naija News understands that participants in the training were drawn from the National Counter Terrorism Centre, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Customs Service, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Fire Service and various units of the Nigeria Police Force.

Cameroon’s delegation included officers from the National Gendarmerie, Judicial Police and the National Central Bureau in Yaoundé.

Interpol said strengthening post-blast investigation capacity in Nigeria and Cameroon would improve intelligence gathering, support prosecutions, and strengthen regional efforts against terrorism and violent extremism.