Boko Haram chief killed by his own bomb.

On March 27, 2023, Awana Gaidam, a high-ranking terrorist and chief bomb maker for Boko Haram, was killed by his own Improvised Explosive Device (IED), according to Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst.

Awana was a 39-year-old member of the Boko Haram command structure and was known for his expertise in making IEDs. He was responsible for planning numerous IED attacks on troops of Operation during fighting patrols, along major highways, and in general areas.

Intelligence sources informed Zagazola Makama that Awana’s vehicle was struck by a bomb in a forest on March 27, killing him instantly. Awana had apparently planted bombs in strategic locations to protect his camp in the forest, but he was unaware that he would fall victim to his own trap, as the device he had plotted blew him up and shattered his body into pieces.

Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province have carried out over 90 indiscriminate attacks in the North East using IEDs since 2022. The insurgents have turned to IEDs due to the increased and sustained pressure from the joint efforts of the Nigerian Army, Air Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, and the combined troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Niger, Cameroon, and Chad in the Lake Chad sub-region.