An army major and at least 10 other people have been killed after Nigerian troops repelled coordinated attacks by suspected Islamist fighters on several military bases in the country’s north-east, the army has said.
The attacks targeted Forward Operating Bases in Mayanti, Gajigana and Gajiram in Borno State between the night of 28 February and the early hours of 1 March.
In a statement, the Nigerian military said troops of the Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai successfully foiled the attacks and maintained control of all the bases.
The army said the attackers, believed to be fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), launched the assaults using heavy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and armed drones.
According to the military, Forward Operating Base Mayanti came under sustained attack on 28 February. Troops held their ground despite intense fire, while reinforcements advanced through ambushes and improvised explosive device threats to repel the attackers.
Five militants were killed at Mayanti, the army said, while three were killed during clashes at Gajiram and two more during the attack on Gajigana.
“Sadly, an officer paid the supreme price during the encounter,” the statement said, confirming the death of an army major. One other soldier was wounded and later evacuated by helicopter for advanced medical treatment.
The army said large quantities of weapons and equipment were recovered from the attackers, including: Three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, Two RPG-7 launchers, Four AK-47 rifles, Two FN rifles, Three rocket-propelled grenade bombs, Large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition
Additional items recovered during the Gajiram attack included an armed drone, anti-tank bombs, locally made mortar bombs, specialised ammunition and barbed-wire cutters.
The military said follow-up operations in nearby areas forced suspected fighters to flee, abandoning motorcycles, bicycles and a tricycle. Two people accused of supplying logistics to ISWAP were arrested, alongside the recovery of drugs and medical supplies allegedly used to treat wounded fighters.
Lt Col Sani Uba, the army’s spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, speaking on the development, said the failed attacks showed what he described as “the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained military pressure”.
“All locations remain firmly under our control,” he said, adding that continued offensive operations were degrading the militants’ ability to operate.
The Nigerian military says it has intensified operations across the north-east in an effort to weaken armed groups that have carried out an insurgency in the region for more than a decade.
