Nigerian Military Loses 3 Commanding Officers in 7 Days as ISWAP Steps Up Borno Attacks
- Nigerian military mourns three commanding officers killed within a week as ISWAP intensifies deadly attacks in Borno
- Lt-Col Umar Faruq, Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, and Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu lost their lives in separate assaults
- A former DSS director who warned of continuing insurgent threats, urged strategic reforms, and citizen support for military operations
The Nigerian military has suffered a series of heavy losses in the fight against insurgents in the northeast, with three commanding officers killed in separate attacks within one week in Borno state.
Source: Getty Images
The officers were leading forward operations bases when fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched assaults on their positions.
Per Daily Tust, the latest deaths bring the number of commanding officers reportedly killed in the last three months to seven, alongside one brigadier general.
Security watchers say the incidents show that insurgents still pose a serious threat in Borno, despite ongoing military campaigns targeting their hideouts across the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad Basin.
Recent attack in Kukawa LGA
The most recent attack happened around midnight on Monday, March 9, when insurgents stormed a military camp in Kukawa Local Government Area.
Lt-Col Umar Faruq, the commanding officer at the base and head of the 101 Brigade, was killed along with several soldiers after the attackers overran the facility.
A security source, as disclosed by Daily Trust, said the insurgents entered the town from several directions and launched a coordinated assault.
“They stormed the town from multiple directions and launched an assault on the military camp,” the source said, adding that vehicles were set on fire and ammunition was taken away.
The spokesman for Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col Sani Uba, confirmed that a senior officer died in the attack but did not release the name.
The base was attacked earlier this month, and troops under Faruq successfully repelled the attack. Residents had praised the soldiers after the earlier battle.
Officer killed in Mayenti
Another officer, Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, was killed on March 1 when Boko Haram fighters attacked the military base he commanded in Mayenti, Bama Local Government Area.
A security source said the officer resisted the attackers fiercely before being overwhelmed.
He added that Mairiga had only been deployed to the base a few months earlier after receiving a special promotion.
Source: Getty Images
Attack in Konduga
On March 6, another attack claimed the life of Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, the commanding officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga.
Several soldiers were also killed during the assault, including personnel from the 21 Special Armoured Brigade.
Pattern of deadly assaults
These recent deaths follow a string of attacks on military formations in the region.
On January 28, Boko Haram fighters attacked troops near Damasak and killed seven soldiers, including the commanding officer, during an ambush.
Earlier, in October 2025, the army confirmed the death of the commanding officer of the 202 Battalion, Aliyu Saidu Paiko, during an encounter with insurgents in Bama Local Government Area.
In another recent incident, about 14 soldiers were reportedly killed when terrorists attacked a military base in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area. More than 100 people were abducted, while many residents fled to nearby communities.
Insurgents have also carried out attacks in the Dalwa community in Konduga Local Government Area, where houses were burned and residents displaced.
Former DSS director reacts
A former director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, described the killing of senior officers as troubling.
Ejiofor explained that insurgents often operate unpredictably and outside conventional military tactics.
He said Nigeria needs both short-term and long-term strategies to tackle insecurity.
According to him, citizens should support security agencies with credible information, while broader reforms such as the creation of state police should also be considered.
ISWAP kills eight soldiers in Borno
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants attacked a Nigerian military base in Cross Kauwa, Borno state, killing eight soldiers and injuring 23 in a violent raid.
Around 70 militants on motorcycles stormed the base, burning it along with 11 gun trucks and seizing anti-aircraft weapons.
ISWAP and Boko Haram have intensified assaults in Borno, displacing thousands and killing tens of thousands since 2009. Analysts have since warned that Nigeria’s counterinsurgency strategy requires stronger intelligence and more adaptive tactics.
Source: Legit.ng
