Article By Ezinwanne Onwuka
The past week was brutal for Nigeria’s security forces. Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists attacked two military bases and blew up a patrol in Borno, leaving at least 28 soldiers and civilian community defenders dead. In Adamawa, the insurgents locked a Christian evangelist in his house and set him on fire and killed 29 others. In Benue, a Catholic priest was kidnapped, and in Niger, 18 people were abducted.
Insurgents Strike Military Bases in Borno and Adamawa
Suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters attacked a military base in Mairari, Guzamala County (Local Government Area), Borno State, shortly before midnight on Tuesday, October 13.
The assault reportedly lasted more than two hours, according to local sources cited by The Guardian.
Casualty reports differed. Premium Times reported on October 15 that 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a community-based security group, had been killed.
SaharaReporters also cited military sources who put the number of soldiers killed at about 15, with others injured or missing. Reuters, citing military sources and residents, reported that at least 10 soldiers had died and at least 20 others had been wounded.
The Nigerian military had not publicly confirmed the full casualty figures by October 19.
Photographs and videos published by Nigerian media showed burned shelters, damaged defensive positions, and military vehicles reduced to charred wreckage.
Two days before the Borno assault, troops in neighboring Adamawa State had also faced an attack on a military installation.
According to a military statement, fighters identified as Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists attacked the Forward Operating Base in Garaha, Hong County, at approximately 9:07 p.m. on Sunday, October 11.
The attackers advanced on foot from the Lar, a nearby community in Hong County, in an attempt to overrun the position. Troops responded with gunfire and tactical coordination, forcing the assailants to retreat.
A subsequent search of the area reportedly recovered six insurgent bodies. The military said some of its personnel were wounded during the encounter and were receiving medical attention.
Landmine Blast Kills 8 Security Personnel
The threat to security forces extended beyond direct assaults on military installations.
On Saturday, October 17, at least eight soldiers and anti-jihadist militia members were killed when their patrol vehicle struck a landmine allegedly planted by ISWAP fighters.
The explosion hit the patrol vehicle in Kinuba village, approximately 16 to 19 miles from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon in northeastern Borno State.
The soldiers were reportedly inspecting anti-jihadist militia members clearing dense vegetation along a highway outside Gamboru when the vehicle hit the explosive. Eight security personnel died at the scene.
The blast came on the same day Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following Tuesday’s deadly assault on the Mairari military base.
Boko Haram Kills 30 Civilians in Adamawa
Days after the attack on the Garaha military base, suspected Boko Haram fighters struck Dzangola Kilba, a remote Christian farming village in Guyaku District, Gombi County, Adamawa State, killing 30 people.
The assault began at about 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, and continued until approximately 5:00 a.m. on Friday, October 16, according to eyewitnesses.
One eyewitness told TruthNigeria that the attackers killed Evangelist David Barnabas, a member of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, known locally as Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria or EYN, by locking him inside his house and setting it ablaze.
The gunmen reportedly remained in the community throughout the night, taking food, domestic animals, and cooking utensils before returning to their stronghold.
According to TruthNigeria, the attack was the fourth in six months to hit Christian communities in Hong and Gombi counties.
Priest Abducted, Church Shuts Institutions in Benue
Gunmen abducted Rev. Fr. John Inalegwu Otache, parish priest of St. Margaret’s Parish in Ajegbe-Awume, Ohimini County, Benue State, on Tuesday, October 13.
Otache was returning from Otukpo, a town in Benue State, when he ran into the kidnappers along the Otobi Amejo–Ajegbe road in Ohimini.
Aondogu Orchia, spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, said tactical teams had been deployed to track down the kidnappers and secure the priest’s release.
Michael Ekwoyi Apochi, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, appealed to the public to pray for Otache’s safe return.
The abduction came amid wider security concerns affecting Catholic institutions elsewhere in Benue, where repeated attacks prompted the Diocese of Gboko to order the indefinite closure of four Church institutions in Ihugh in Vandeikya County and the hometown of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The October 12 statement directed priests, religious sisters, teachers, health workers, and other personnel to leave the community following repeated arson attacks, burglaries, and alleged intimidation of Church workers.
The affected institutions are St. Winifred Secondary School, St. Thomas Hospital (including Salus Mind Care Center and the hospital chaplaincy), St. Winifred Nursery and Primary School, and St. Winifred Parish.
Bishop William Avenya, who signed the statement alongside Diocesan Chancellor Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Wende, said the attacks had endangered students, teachers, health workers, priests, and other Church personnel.
Five Farmers Killed, 18 Abducted in Niger
On Monday, October 12, terrorists entered Fanga village in Mashegu County, Niger State, in the afternoon, killed five people, set houses and shops on fire, burned a truck, and stole food.
The attackers also abducted 18 people, including women and children, a resident told Daily Trust.
According to the account, the assailants had repeatedly demanded levies from residents. The latest violence followed the community’s failure to raise the amount demanded.
Previous payments had failed to stop the attacks, the resident said. The violence ultimately forced residents to flee their homes.
The insecurity also spread fear to Rukukuje in Rijau County, where residents reportedly abandoned their homes on Monday after receiving information that suspected bandits were approaching.
A resident told Daily Trust that the armed men had entered the area through a forest in neighboring Zamfara State.
Some residents fled to Rijau, the county headquarters, while others crossed into Zamfara.
A video circulating on social media showed women, children, and older people wading through a river toward Shambo with food and personal belongings. Some residents pushed motorcycles through the water as they sought safety.
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