TRUETELLS Nigeria reports that the recent surge in coordinated assaults by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on military installations and communities across northern Nigeria has heightened fears of a renewed phase of insurgency in the country.
Within the last three weeks, at least 65 Nigerian soldiers have reportedly been killed during attacks targeting military bases and nearby communities in Borno and Katsina states. Security analysts believe the renewed offensive is part of a calculated attempt by the insurgents to regain territory and reestablish operational dominance in parts of the North-East.
Several communities and military formations have come under repeated attacks, including Jakana, Kawuri and Dalori in Konduga Local Government Area, Mainok in Kaga LGA, and parts of Marte LGA in Borno State.
Among the military officers killed during the assaults were Lt. Col. Umar Farouk, who died during the March 9 attack on the Chukka military base; Lt. Col. S.I. Iliyasu, killed during the attack on the 222 Battalion in Konduga on March 6; Major U.I. Mairiga, who died in the March 1 attack on a military base in Mayenti, Bama LGA; Lt. Ismaeel Baba; and Major Segun Amusan.
According to Amaq News Agency, a media outlet that reports activities linked to the Islamic State, ISWAP fighters carried out multiple attacks on military bases in Konduga LGA. The group claimed that during one of the assaults, a senior military officer and two soldiers were killed, while the base and 11 military vehicles were destroyed.
The militants also alleged that they seized 68 motorcycles from the base and burnt a police station, killing four police officers.
ISWAP further claimed responsibility for attacks on a military base in Marte LGA, where three officers were reportedly killed and several others injured. Similar attacks were recorded in Jakana and Mainok towns, while military positions in Kawuri and Dalori communities were reportedly burnt after troops were forced to withdraw.
In a separate incident, Boko Haram insurgents claimed responsibility for the March 5 attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza LGA, where dozens of soldiers and civilians were killed and more than 300 residents abducted.
However, troops supported by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, local vigilantes and hunters reportedly launched a counter-operation and recaptured the Ngoshe base, killing several terrorists.
Following the escalation, President Bola Tinubu convened a high-level security meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday. The meeting lasted nearly two hours, though official details of the discussions were not disclosed.
Speaking after the meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, linked the increase in attacks partly to the mindset of terrorists during the holy month of Ramadan.
According to him, many insurgents believe dying in battle during the period guarantees spiritual reward.
“As usual during Ramadan, terrorists believe that if they die in battle they will go to heaven. Because of this belief, they are willing to carry out attacks even if it costs them their lives,” Musa said.
He added that the military had adjusted its operational strategies and had recently recorded successes by eliminating insurgent commanders and reclaiming key locations.
Security analysts, however, believe the militants’ primary objective is territorial control. According to them, attacks on military bases are designed to weaken government presence and create space for insurgents to dominate vulnerable communities.
A security expert and fellow of the Institute of Security Nigeria, Chigozie Ubani, explained that insurgents often target communities and military formations in order to force residents to flee.
Once communities are displaced, he said, the militants occupy the abandoned territories and attempt to impose their extremist ideology.
“Their strategy is simple—terrorise communities, force people to flee and then take over those spaces,” Ubani said.
He warned that the insurgents’ long-term goal is to reestablish territorial enclaves similar to those they controlled at the peak of the insurgency in the North-East.
Residents of Borno communities also believe the attacks are driven by the terrorists’ desire for territorial domination.
A community leader in Gwoza LGA, Modu Hassan, said insurgents had openly declared their intention to convert certain towns into provinces under their control.
“They released a video after the Ngoshe attack saying they wanted to make the town their province. Their aim is clearly control,” he said.
Hassan also rejected the claim that the terrorists’ actions are religiously motivated.
“This is not Islam. Killing and displacing innocent people has nothing to do with the religion,” he added.
Security operatives further revealed that military bases are frequently targeted because they serve as checkpoints controlling access into communities.
According to one officer, insurgents must first confront soldiers stationed at these bases before carrying out attacks on nearby towns.
“They mobilise in large numbers and strike a base first. If they succeed, they gain entry into the communities,” the officer said.
However, retired Brigadier General George Emdin warned that internal sabotage could also be contributing to the military’s setbacks. He alleged that informants within the system sometimes leak sensitive operational information to terrorists.
“The enemies within are often more dangerous than those on the battlefield,” he said, noting that leaked information about troop movements can expose soldiers to ambushes.
Some security officials also believe the recent attacks may have political undertones. According to a senior officer in the Department of State Services, insurgent groups sometimes escalate violence during politically sensitive periods.
He noted that a similar pattern occurred in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
“All these attacks are designed to make the government appear incapable of handling security challenges,” the official said.
Retired Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi also suggested that some incidents could be politically motivated, arguing that certain actors may exploit insecurity to weaken public confidence in the current administration.
Another retired military officer, Brigadier General Peter Aro, called for urgent reforms in military tactics, warning that insurgent groups have become more mobile, innovative and unpredictable.
He said asymmetric warfare requires flexible tactics, improved intelligence, better equipment and rapid-response systems.
“When insurgents are able to overrun bases and kill commanding officers, it shows there are gaps in preparedness, intelligence and operational adaptation,” Aro said.
Civil society groups in the North-East have also called for the deployment of advanced technology and improved communication systems among security agencies to reduce casualties among troops.
Meanwhile, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, assured that the military is taking steps to curb the attacks.
“Measures are already being implemented to address these incidents, and the results will soon become evident,” he said.
