HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA), a pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, has criticized the military’s handling of information regarding the casualties from ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists’ attacks on its facilities. The Rights group also claimed that the military is disseminating false information to Nigerians in an effort to paint a positive picture of the Nigerian Army’s accomplishments, despite the fact that the terrorists are on the rise and have killed dozens of junior ranks, women, and children.
According to HURIWA, the Defense Headquarters spokesperson who recently stated that the terrorists should be rehabilitated and reintegrated is guilty of indiscretion and should face administrative sanctions because the terrorists are committing heinous crimes against humanity. Just as the Rights organization argued that terrorists should be executed for their crimes against humanity, HURIWA is against any discussion of rehabilitation for terrorists who have blood on their hands.
The Nigerian military has lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operations bases as a result of attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at various locations in Borno State over the course of seven days, according to the Rights group, which cited reliable eyewitness accounts obtained by highly credible media outlets reporting from the country’s northeast. HURIWA bemoaned the fact that the Nigerian Army has yet to retrieve the remains of Brigadier General Uba, who was allegedly seized and put to death by ISWAP. “Any country’s army is in decline if it is losing junior soldiers and permitting terrorists to kill its highest ranking military officers.” We need to be honest with ourselves and be frank. The federal government needs to take action to stop the military’s deterioration and inspire soldiers to fight and defeat terrorists.
The most recent losses, according to reliable media reports, raise the total number of commanding officers and one brigadier general slain in the last three months to seven.
The recent attacks, according to local and security analysts, demonstrate the persisting threat posed by terrorists in Borno despite continuous military operations meant to weaken their capabilities.
Therefore, HURIWA is upset that the military’s leadership could approve the spread of false information to mislead Nigerians and convince them that the death toll was not as high as is being reported, despite the fact that the same military acknowledged that about 40 soldiers were killed in Borno and confirmed the murder of a single commanding officer. According to HURIWA, Nigeria is the only country in the world where Islamic terrorists are massacring large numbers of trained soldiers. The Nigerian military chiefs’ neglect of their duties is unacceptable.
The army claimed in a statement released on Saturday by Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer for Operation Hadin Kai, that the story gave a false description of the incident and neglected to recognize the efforts of soldiers who protected villages from organized terrorist attacks.
The statement claimed that Boko Haram remnants who had previously been driven from Sambisa Forest by prolonged military operations were responsible for the attacks.
According to the statement, “the attacks on multiple communities occurred when remnants of Boko Haram terrorists regrouped and launched coordinated night attacks from multiple directions after being dislodged from the Sambisa Forest during sustained offensive operations by troops.”
Communities and troop sites near Konduga, Ngoshe, Mainok, and Jakana were the target of the attacks, according to the army.
The statement said, “The troops on the ground responded quickly and fought valiantly to repel the terrorists and defend the affected communities.”
It stated that a commanding officer and a few soldiers were killed while fighting the assailants, but it also mentioned that numerous terrorists were neutralized during the battles.
However, just as the Rights group bemoaned the state of the counterterrorism war and advised military hierarchy to adopt more effective and efficient methods to decimate, degrade, and destroy the terrorists, HURIWA asked the military to always inform Nigerians of the true accounts of the casualties rather than try to trick us into thinking that everything is well with the military. The unconstitutional practice of rehabilitating and reintegrating terrorist killers must be abolished by President Bola Tinubu.
The military has increased operations in high-risk areas, including as the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad Basin, in recent months, according to a media statement from HURIWA.
According to military authorities, numerous rebel commanders and fighters are being killed during operations carried out on different fronts, and several significant terrorist camps are also being destroyed.
Major U.I. Mairiga, who oversaw the Mayenti station; Lt-Col. Umar Faruq, who commanded the Kukawa base and the 101 Brigade; and Lt-Col. S.I. Iliyasu, who served in Konduga, were the three leading commanders who were recently slain, according to media reports.
According to HURIWA, commanding commanders at Damasak, Kukawa, and Bama have also reportedly been killed while defending their positions within the past three months.
The majority of the casualties were found to have been as a result of insurgent ambushes or attacks on military installations during clearance operations.
Recent assault
The most recent event happened on Monday, March 9, when rebels stormed a military barracks in Borno’s Kukawa Local Government Area, killing numerous soldiers including the commanding officer, Lt-Col. Umar Faruq.
The insurgents stormed the base at around 12 a.m., according to security and local sources.
“They attacked the military camp after storming the town from several directions. They carried away munitions, set cars on fire, and drove the military out, according to a security source.
“Unfortunately, we also lost the commanding officer, but I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties,” the insider continued.
Lt-Col Sani Uba, the spokesman for the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, said that a brave officer had died in the assault but did not reveal his identify.
Many terrorists were reportedly slain as forces headed by the late Lt-Col. Umar Faruq resisted rebels who had also attacked the military base last month.
Social media users applauded his response to the previous incident, which was enthusiastically praised by locals.
Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, a member of the Borno State House of Assembly who represents Kukawa Local Government Area, was seen celebrating the earlier victory with troops in a video that went viral online.
Despite the fact that the military base was overrun, the congressman who verified the most recent attack claimed that other military units in the region had subsequently returned to normal.
Other assaults
Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, another commanding officer, was killed on March 1, 2026, when Boko Haram terrorists attacked his base in Mayenti, Bama Local Government Area.
According to a security source, the officer put up a valiant fight against the assault before being overpowered.
Major U.I. Mairiga, the unit leader, put up a fierce fight against the terrorists but was ultimately defeated after several of his soldiers escaped into the bush.
“A valiant soldier, he died. Before being overwhelmed, he killed a lot of them. We found anti-aircraft weapons, RPGs, and numerous Boko Haram fighter dead when I arrived as reinforcement, the source claimed.
Less than four months prior, the officer was assigned to the forward operations base following a special promotion, according to the source.
The attack took place a few weeks after terrorists allegedly set fire to armored vehicles and removed a significant amount of ammunition from a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area, killing numerous soldiers.
Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, the commanding officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga, was murdered on March 6 along with a number of other soldiers in another Boko Haram insurgent raid.
A lieutenant and other members of the 21 Special Armoured Brigade are said to have perished in the ambush.
Earlier on January 28, a military formation in Damasak was ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents, who killed seven troops, including the commanding officer.
According to reports, the terrorists ambushed a patrol unit, kidnapped the officer, and executed him along with other staff members.
Aliyu Saidu Paiko, the commanding officer of the 202 Battalion, and other troops were declared dead by the Nigerian Army on October 20, 2025, during a confrontation with Boko Haram terrorists in Bama Local Government Area.
According to Army spokeswoman Appolonia Anele, soldiers assigned to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade in Operation Hadin Kai had previously fended off terrorist attacks in Kashimri, Bama Local Government Area, on October 17.
A concerted attack on a military base in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area, last Wednesday is said to have resulted in the deaths of fourteen troops. More than 100 people were kidnapped, and a senior military officer was also assassinated.
HURIWA is urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in Borno State in response to the resurgence of attacks against both soft and hard targets. This would allow the military to concentrate more on eliminating the terrorists and reestablishing stability and peace in Borno State.
The fight against terrorism in Nigeria has undoubtedly been lost. The federal government must more urgently find practical solutions to the expanding frontiers of warfare that ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists have brought upon Nigeria. One such solution is the possibility of granting arms licenses to law-abiding adult Nigerians, both male and female, so they can carry sophisticated weapons like the AK-47 and AK-49 rifle.
