Officer, others killed as Nigerian Army repels ISWAP attacks in Borno

A Nigerian army major and some soldiers paid the supreme price as security forces fought off coordinated attacks by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Nigerian military formations in Borno State.

Sources, including jihadi experts, said the terrorists launched the attacks between Saturday and Sunday.

The Nigerian Army confirmed the attack in a statement on Sunday, saying the terrorists were repelled by the troops of Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east.

The spokesperson for the operation, Sani Uba, a lieutenant colonel, said in the statement that the troops “demonstrated resilience and battlefield dominance” by foiling the attacks on military formations in Mayanti, Gajigana and Gajiram.

In a propaganda message published by its media wing, Amaq, ISWAP said it attacked military camps in Gajiram and Mayinti, as well as the Kajeri military camp at Banki junction in Borno.

The group claimed that the major and two other soldiers were killed during the assaults.

A video seen by our reporter showed injured soldiers being evacuated by a military helicopter.

Sources said the injured officers were flown to the 7 Division Military Hospital in Maiduguri for urgent medical attention.

According to the propaganda message, the insurgents also destroyed nine military vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers, and carted away weapons and motorcycles from the affected bases.

Military confirms attacks

Although the Army did not name the officer, it confirmed that “an officer paid the supreme price” during the raid on Mayanti.

Describing it as a “failed assault”, Mr Uba said the attacks were launched between the late hours of 28 February and the early hours of 1 March.

Mr Uba said the attack on Gajigana was “successfully thwarted” with five terrorists confirmed dead. According to him, many terrorists were killed and “combat equipment” was recovered during the assaults at Mayanti and Gajiram.

At Mayanti, the Army said it recovered three PKT automatic anti-aircraft guns, two RPG-7 tubes, four AK-47 rifles, two FN rifles, three RPG bombs and large quantities of 7.62mm ammunition.

In the early hours of 1 March 2026, Mr Uba stated, the terrorists armed with PKT guns, RPGs and armed drones attacked the military formation in Gajiram.

The attack, he said, was thwarted by “determined troops supported by air assets.”

He said three terrorists were confirmed killed. The weapons and ammunition recovered from that battle include four AK-47 rifles, five anti-tank bombs, three locally fabricated mortar bombs, one armed drone and six fully loaded 7.62mm NATO magazines.

Other items included barbed wire cutters, specialised ammunition, poisoned arrows and other items abandoned in flight. Mr Uba said one soldier was wounded in the attack and “airlifted by a Nigerian Army Aviation helicopter for advanced medical care.”

He said the attacks underscored “the growing desperation of terrorist elements under sustained pressure on their enclaves, logistics corridors and leadership structures.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the troops of Operation Hadin Kai arrested terror logistics suppliers, including a man suspected of supplying armed drones to ISWAP. This was in addition to sustained offensives against the insurgents.

Borno has remained a flashpoint of insurgency, with Boko Haram and ISWAP continuing to target military positions and civilian communities despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The United States recently deployed about 200 soldiers to Nigeria’s North-east to support counterterrorism operations. The deployment came after weeks of diplomatic tension between the Nigerian government and the United States, sparked by remarks from President Donald Trump, who claimed that a “Christian genocide” was carried out by Islamist militant groups in Nigeria.

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Mr Trump had redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and warned of possible military action if the Nigerian government failed to stop attacks against Christians. The Nigerian government rejected the claim, describing it as a misrepresentation of the security situation and maintaining that both Muslims and Christians have been victims of terrorist violence.

On the eve of 25 December 2025, President Trump ordered a military strike on targets in Nigeria, launching missiles from the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Ghana to locations in North-west Nigeria, where he believed Islamic State camps were situated.

However, while Islamic State-affiliated fighters are primarily active in the North-east, their operational presence in the North-west remains disputed among security analysts.

Media reports indicated that the missiles did not strike the intended targets, as debris was later discovered in parts of the North-central and North-west regions.