Suspected Boko Haram militants launched a coordinated assault on a Nigerian army base and a military outpost in northeastern Borno State, killing at least 16 people, security sources confirmed.
Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have long operated in Nigeria’s northeast, targeting security forces and civilians, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacements.
In the latest attack, insurgents struck an army base in Wajiroko around 2100 GMT on Monday, setting military equipment ablaze, sources said. A soldier from the Wajiroko brigade reported that at least four soldiers were killed, with several others injured, including the brigade commander.
Simultaneously, armed fighters in light tactical vehicles stormed an outpost in Wulgo, a village 12 kilometres from Cameroon’s Fotokol border town, killing 12 soldiers and injuring a dozen others, according to Cameroon’s Defence Ministry.
A military source, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that the assault on the multinational task force troops occurred between midnight and 3 a.m. on Tuesday. The source added, “They looted an important stockpile of weapons,” and suggested that drones were initially used before a ground offensive followed.
Videos shared online depicted bloodied bodies, charred patrol vehicles, and damaged buildings, though Reuters could not verify them. The Nigerian army has not yet responded to requests for comment. However, Cameroon’s army spokesperson, Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo, confirmed the attack but said casualty figures remained unclear.
Makinta Modu, a local militia member assisting the Nigerian army, confirmed that in Wajiroko, militants overran a “forward operation base.” He added, “Around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT), air force fighter jets came for reinforcement … and killed many of the ISWAP fighters that captured the military base.” However, it remains uncertain whether the army has regained full control of the base.
Despite suffering military setbacks and internal conflicts over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have intensified attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno State this year. The insurgency, which has ravaged northeastern Nigeria for over a decade, continues alongside widespread banditry in the northwest and separatist violence in the southeast.
