The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has visited troops deployed in Nigeria’s north-east following an attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters that killed 15 soldiers and five members of a civilian anti-jihadist militia in Borno State.
The visit on Saturday came days after the insurgents overran a military base in Mairari village, in the Lake Chad area, looted weapons and set the facility ablaze.
The attack underscores the persistent security challenges facing military formations in Borno, the epicentre of more than 17 years of insurgency by Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP.
The conflict, which began in 2009, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions across north-eastern Nigeria. Although the violence declined from its peak about a decade ago, attacks have increased over the past two years.
According to defence and local sources, a large group of ISWAP fighters attacked the Mairari military base overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, overwhelming the troops stationed there.
“The terrorists killed 15 soldiers and five civilian JTF (anti-jihadist militia) assisting the soldiers during the attack,” a Nigerian military officer told AFP.
The officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said the insurgents razed the base to the ground, forcing surviving troops to withdraw towards Monguno, a military garrison town about 18 kilometres away.
He added that several soldiers remained missing, raising fears among their colleagues that they might have been captured by the attackers.
A resident of Mairari, Grema Butari, said the assault began at about 11 p.m. local time and continued for hours before the insurgents dislodged the troops.
“They took everything of value they could carry and burnt the rest along with several vehicles,” Butari said, confirming the reported death toll.
Another resident, Ahmad Sherif, said the attackers were believed to have launched the operation from their base in Gudumbali, in the neighbouring Guzamala district.
Sherif also confirmed the destruction of the military facility.
The latest attack comes amid a resurgence of jihadist violence across north-eastern Nigeria, with the country recording its highest level of violence in the second quarter of 2026 since the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project began tracking incidents in 1997.
Last week, about two dozen militants and soldiers were reportedly killed when ISWAP fighters attacked a military outpost in neighbouring Kukawa Local Government Area.
The insurgents looted weapons during the assault but were subsequently repelled with the support of fighter jets, according to military and local sources.
The prolonged insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and forced about two million others from their homes in north-eastern Nigeria, according to the United Nations.
The Army Chief’s visit comes as security forces continue efforts to contain the insurgency and protect military installations and communities across the region.
