During an attack on a Nigerian Army installation in Borno State, armed rebels connected to Boko Haram allegedly killed numerous troops, including Army Major U. I. Mairiga.
Early on Sunday morning, a forward military post along the Banki axis was the target of the attack, according to reports.
According to reports, the attackers overran the personnel positioned at the post when they broke in in large groups.
According to security sources, the attack took place at the Forward Base Operations close to the Banki intersection on the Bama-Gwaza Road. For hours, there was a lot of shooting as soldiers tried to fend off the assailants.
Members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, a group that has escalated attacks on military units throughout the Northeast, were identified as the militants.
During the operation, a senior Army officer was declared dead. A number of other soldiers were also killed, and in the confusion, some staff apparently withdrew into nearby bushes.
An Army Major and numerous other soldiers were killed this morning in an attack at Forward Base operations at Banki junction at around 0400 hours by gunmen suspected of being Boko Haram terrorists.
“Their bodies are being moved to Maiduguri’s 7 Division Military Hospital.”
While attempts are ongoing to find missing soldiers, the corpses of the fallen soldiers were sent to a military medical facility in Maiduguri.
The most recent incident is part of a series of attacks against military targets in the state in recent years. Insurgents had damaged armored vehicles and taken weapons from an Army camp in Jakana, which is part of the Kaga Local Government Area, weeks prior.
“Boko Haram terrorists attacked an Army outpost along Maiduguri/Damaturu Road, Jakana town, this morning, 06/02/2025, with numerous casualties reported on our side.”
Days prior to that incident, seven soldiers, including a recently promoted Lieutenant Colonel, had been slain in another horrific ambush while on operational mobility.
Military insiders revealed that during these operations, the militants used explosives and were shot at, resulting in significant losses and injuries, with several soldiers still missing.
ISWAP’s influence has grown around Lake Chad after the passing of former Boko Haram commander Abubakar Shekau, taking in defectors and putting more strain on the area’s security agencies.
In the meantime, 42 sheep were found and four suspected livestock rustlers were taken into custody by the Niger State Police Command in various operations throughout the state.
Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s public relations officer, revealed this in a statement on Sunday, stating that the arrests were conducted in response to reliable information.
The statement claims that on February 24 at around 6 p.m., police officers who were part of the Crack Squad apprehended and detained the accused.
The accused were identified as Abubakar Musa, 23, of Maito village via Lemu; Muhammad Ibeto, 20, of Kara via Jebba; Bello Saidu, 20, of Kara via Jebba; and Abubakar Alhaji, 20, of Kara via Jebba.
According to Abiodun, a tip that the suspects were seen near Raba Forest via Mokwa with suspected rustled animals led to the arrests.
Police officers acted quickly and followed the criminals down the Jebba-Mokwa route.
According to him, “four members of the syndicate were arrested while others fled into the forest.”
The accused allegedly admitted to rustling the sheep from Salihu village via Mokwa during questioning, and they also named other gang members.
Abiodun stated that the 42 recovered sheep had been claimed by their lawful owner and that attempts were on to apprehend the escaping culprits.
