UPDATED: Terrorists attack military base in Kwara

Terrorists suspected to be of Ansaru, the first breakaway faction of Boko Haram, have attacked a military base in Kaiama Local Government of Kwara State, killing at least three soldiers and injuring four others, including a local vigilante.

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During the attack, the terrorists carted away eight operational motorcycles and a gun truck, intelligence sources and locals said.

“The terrorists came directly to the military camp and opened fire on soldiers,” a forest guard [name withheld for security reasons] who fights alongside military operatives said. “They killed three soldiers and injured four (three soldiers and a local vigilante).”

Another source, a vigilante member in the village, said soldiers killed many of the terrorists during the attack.

Although other terrorist groups operate in the area, sources attributed the attack to Ansaru fighters, who had previously engaged security forces in the village in fierce gun battles.

Neither the military authorities nor the police in Kwara have issued official statements about the incident. The spokespersons for the Kwara police command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, and the Nigerian Army, Appolonia Anele, did not respond to calls and a text sent to them.

Ansaru’s presence in the area

The terror group, also known as Mamuda among locals, have carried out many violent attacks since it infiltrated the Kainji National Park around 2020.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the group funded its violent campaign through kidnapping for ransom and biodiversity-threatening activities, including illegal logging, grazing and farming in the protected Kainji forest reserve.

In August 2025, the Nigerian government announced the arrest of two Ansaru leaders—Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, alias Mallam Mamuda. They were later arraigned in court over terrorism charges. The trial is ongoing.

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But their foot soldiers continued the reign of terror. Intelligence sources said they aligned with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a Sahelian jihadi group operating in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Benin Republic.

With support from the JNIM, the group has launched attacks on places like Nuku, Duruma, Karonji, Kemanji and other adjoining villages.

While Ansaru and JNIM are more active in parts of Kwara State bordering the Benin Republic, the Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction and Lakurawa terrorists have established strongholds in several communities in Niger State, including those along the border with Benin Republic and Kebbi State.