"We lost two soldiers while five others were wounded when the IED (improvised explosive device) planted on their route went off and hit their convoy," Major General Bola Koleoso told AFP.

Koleoso said that the soldiers were among the troops being prepared for deployment in Mali as part of an African force to help the country retake its Islamist-controlled north.

"They are soldiers scheduled to go to Mali. We are preparing them ahead of their deployment to Mali," he said without giving further details.

He did not say if the attack, which he said was the handiwork of suspected Boko Haram Islamists, targeted specifically the troops.