Suspected terrorists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have killed a Nigerian Army commanding officer and several soldiers in coordinated attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states in northeastern Nigeria, according to security sources and local residents.
Armed insurgents claim control of Ngoshe in Borno State in a video circulating online
The assaults targeted military positions in Kukawa, Borno State, and Goniri, Yobe State, marking a renewed escalation of insurgent violence in a region that has endured more than a decade of conflict.
Security sources said Lieutenant Colonel Umar Farouq, who commanded military operations in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, died after sustaining injuries during a fierce battle when insurgents stormed the military base in the town.
The officer was reportedly wounded alongside several soldiers while defending the base from the attackers. He later died while being evacuated to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for medical treatment.
“The terrorists attacked the military base in Kukawa town, burned parts of the facility and made away with ammunition,” a local source said. “The commanding officer sustained critical injuries during the fighting and died while being transported to Maiduguri. Several soldiers were also killed.”
Following the attack, insurgents reportedly moved toward nearby communities, including Dalwa in Konduga Local Government Area, where residents fled as gunmen burned homes and other property.
Dalwa, located about 20 kilometres from Maiduguri, was resettled by the Borno State Government in December last year as part of efforts to return displaced residents to their communities after years of insurgent violence.
In neighbouring Yobe State, militants also attacked a military base in Goniri, where they reportedly looted weapons and ammunition and destroyed several military vehicles.
Security sources said the attackers breached the base’s defensive perimeter and engaged troops in a prolonged firefight before overrunning the position.
“The Goniri military base was destroyed, and several military vehicles were captured by the terrorists, suspected to be ISWAP members,” a source familiar with the incident said. “They carted away weapons and ammunition after overpowering the troops.”
The Nigerian military’s Air Component reportedly deployed fighter jets to provide close air support after ground troops issued a distress call, though insurgents had already inflicted significant damage on the base.
The latest attacks followed another assault two days earlier on a military position in Ngoshe, also in Borno State, where insurgents reportedly burned armoured vehicles and seized large quantities of ammunition.
In a video circulating online, gunmen claiming responsibility for the Ngoshe attack said they had captured the town and intended to establish a “caliphate” there while threatening to expand operations toward Maiduguri and Abuja. The claim could not be independently verified.
Borno and Yobe states remain at the centre of Nigeria’s long-running insurgency led by Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The conflict, which began in 2009, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across northeastern Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region.
