No fewer than seven soldiers of the Nigerian Army have been confirmed dead after their vehicle hit an explosive in the Mugunu area of Maiduguri, Borno State.

The incident occurred early Thursday morning when the vehicle reportedly struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram along the Gamboru Ngala-Maiduguri Road.

According to SaharaReporters, the army received a distress call early Thursday about a Boko Haram attack on a neighbouring community.

In response, the commandant ordered the deployment of three vehicles carrying armed soldiers to rescue the community.

Tragically, one of the vehicles struck an electro-explosive device (EED) in the Moguno area, resulting in the death of all but one soldier on board.

Distressing videos and images show soldiers grappling with the gruesome task of recovering and reassembling the dismembered remains of their comrades.

A military source stated, “They were called that a neighboring community is under attack by Boko Haram. So their commandant said they should go. So they moved with the commandant around 5 am in a convoy.

“The first and second vehicles passed, his own was the third, the EED device exploded and scattered all of them in the vehicle. They were seven.”

The source added that the remains of the deceased soldiers are being collected and identified before notifying their families.

At the time of this report, the identities of the deceased were not fully disclosed.