The terrorists launched the attack in the late hours of Friday.
KaNo —
At least eight security personnel have been confirmed dead following a coordinated overnight attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on the Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base in Mandaragirau, Biu Local Government Area, Borno State.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Friday at about 3 a.m., targeted a military installation under the 25 Brigade of Sector 2, one of the key formations involved in counterinsurgency operations in Nigeria’s North-East.
The base operates under the umbrella of Operation HADIN KAI, which has been engaged in sustained operations against insurgent groups across the region.
Military authorities said the assault took place during heavy rainfall, a condition that significantly reduced visibility and created what officials described as “operational challenges” for troops on duty.
In a statement released on Friday, the Acting Media Information Officer at the Joint Task Force North-East, Lt. Col. Haruna Sani, confirmed that the attackers attempted to breach the Forward Operating Base under the cover of poor weather conditions.
According to him, the insurgents launched a pre-dawn offensive and engaged troops in intense close-quarter combat.
“Determined troops responded with a fierce counter-offensive, decisively frustrating further incursions and inflicting casualties on the attackers,” Sani said.
He noted that the resilience shown by personnel at the base reflected the broader commitment of Nigerian forces operating in the theatre.
Despite the successful repulsion of the attackers, the military confirmed that five soldiers and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) lost their lives during the confrontation.
Several others were injured and immediately evacuated by the Air Component Command for medical treatment.
Officials say the wounded personnel are currently in stable condition and responding to care.
The CJTF, a local vigilante group formed to support the military in intelligence gathering and frontline assistance, has played a significant role in counterinsurgency efforts in Borno State since the peak of Boko Haram’s territorial control years ago.
Sani noted that the sacrifices of the fallen personnel represented the “highest traditions of service, courage, and unwavering commitment” to national defence.
“Operation HADIN KAI honours their heroism and the bravery of all personnel who stood firm in the face of a determined but ultimately futile enemy assault,” he added.
Military sources also confirmed that troops remain in full control of the Forward Operating Base, with clearance and exploitation operations ongoing in surrounding areas to prevent further infiltration or regrouping by insurgents.
Local Sources Says Attack Deadly
However, accounts from local and military sources suggest that the attack may have been more extensive than initially reported.
Residents and local security stakeholders in Biu Local Government Area, who spoke to Punch, said they heard sustained gunfire and explosions during the early morning assault, which they claimed lasted for nearly an hour.
One local source said the attackers appeared to exploit the heavy rainfall to approach the military location undetected.
“They stormed the area during the rain and engaged soldiers for a long time. It was not a brief exchange. The sound of gunfire continued until morning,” the source said.
Another military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disputed the official casualty figure, suggesting that more than eight personnel may have been killed in the attack, while several others sustained injuries.
“Eight? They are more than eight who were killed, while others were injured. The attackers were very aggressive and pursued fleeing soldiers after breaching parts of the base,” the source claimed.
While such discrepancies in casualty figures are not uncommon in active conflict zones, the conflicting accounts highlight ongoing challenges in verifying real-time information from remote military installations in the North-East.
In a separate reaction, the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, confirmed that multiple locations may have been targeted during the overnight assault.
“Yes, the attack occurred. It is not one place that was attacked. They stormed several positions and caused casualties,” Kaigama said.
He called on authorities to strengthen intelligence-sharing mechanisms between communities and security agencies, arguing that grassroots participation remains critical in preventing future attacks.
“There must be a platform for knowledgeable people within communities to engage security authorities directly. Just like forest guard initiatives, we need structured local liaison systems that are not solely controlled from the top,” he added
Kaigama noted that improved collaboration could help reduce surprise attacks on rural military formations and civilian communities, which remain vulnerable despite years of counterinsurgency operations.
The Mandaragirau attack comes amid renewed concerns over insurgent activity in parts of Borno State, where rural communities and military outposts continue to face sporadic but deadly raids.
Although the Nigerian military insists that Boko Haram and its splinter factions have been significantly degraded, recent incidents suggest that the groups still retain the capacity to launch coordinated attacks, particularly in hard-to-reach areas with limited surveillance and difficult terrain.
Atiku Slams FG Over Renewed Terrorist Attacks
In a statement issued through his media aide, Atiku warned that terrorist groups are increasingly adaptive, learning from each confrontation and refining their tactics, while government responses remain largely unchanged.
“The terrorists are learning from every attack. They study their successes and failures. They refine their tactics. They identify vulnerabilities and strike again,” he said.
Atiku questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that the persistence of attacks across the North-East, North-West, and parts of the Middle Belt signals systemic weaknesses.
“A nation that refuses to learn from its tragedies is condemned to relive them,” he warned
He also criticized the reliance on centrally designed counterterrorism frameworks, arguing that insufficient attention has been given to community-driven intelligence systems and locally grounded security approaches..
