Boko Haram, ISWAP Kill Officers, Soldiers in Fresh Attacks on North-East Military Bases

Boko Haram, ISWAP Kill Officers, Soldiers in Fresh Attacks on North-East Military Bases

Jihadi extremist groups, including Boko Haram and its faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have intensified coordinated attacks on military bases across Nigeria’s North-East, leaving several officers and soldiers dead and raising fresh concerns about security in the region.

Over the past week, insurgents carried out multiple assaults on military formations in Borno and Yobe states, targeting troop positions in remote areas and communities around the Lake Chad region.

Security reports indicate that at least two military officers and several soldiers were killed during the latest wave of attacks, while analysts estimate that no fewer than four officers may have died within the period as militants launched simultaneous operations against different bases.

The Nigerian military confirmed the incidents, describing them as coordinated attempts by terrorists to overwhelm troop positions.

Military spokesperson Maj.-Gen. Sani Uba said the attacks, which occurred between Sunday and Monday, resulted in the loss of an unspecified number of soldiers and at least one officer.

According to him, the casualties add to the deaths of several soldiers and another officer earlier recorded during separate attacks earlier in the week.

Reports show that Islamic extremists launched at least six attacks over the weekend across Borno and Yobe states, striking several military formations and checkpoints across the wider Lake Chad basin, a region that has remained the epicentre of the insurgency for more than a decade.

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During the raids, insurgents reportedly carted away military trucks, motorcycles, weapons and ammunition from some of the bases after temporarily overrunning the facilities.

Videos circulated by ISWAP after the attacks showed militants displaying weapons, ammunition, motorcycles and vehicles which the group claimed were seized during the assaults.

Security experts say such attacks are often aimed at replenishing insurgents’ weapons stockpiles.

Taiwo Adebayo, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, said insurgents typically target military camps to seize arms and supplies.

“When they hit those camps, they strip the base of weapons, burn it down and retreat into the forests,” he said.

Another security researcher, Malik Samuel of Good Governance Africa, warned that the vulnerability of some military bases allows insurgents to strengthen their arsenal without spending resources on purchasing weapons.

“As long as military bases remain vulnerable to being overrun, ISWAP does not need to spend money buying arms,” he said.

The renewed attacks have triggered public anger in Nigeria, with some citizens accusing the administration of President Bola Tinubu of focusing on political developments ahead of the next presidential election rather than addressing worsening insecurity in the North-East.

Observers note that although ISWAP has increased attacks on military positions in recent months, the latest wave marks one of the few times the group has launched multiple coordinated assaults on several bases within a short period.

The attacks are occurring despite increased security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, under which more than 100 US troops have been deployed to assist the Nigerian military with training, logistics and intelligence support.

Analysts say insurgents continue to exploit limited government presence and weak security coverage in remote communities, enabling them to move quickly between forests and border areas across the Lake Chad region.

Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, remains one of the country’s deadliest security crises, killing thousands of people and displacing millions across the North-East and neighbouring countries.

Boko Haram, ISWAP Kill Officers, Soldiers in Fresh Attacks on North-East Military Bases