At least 10 Nigerian soldiers and four civilians are feared dead following a coordinated attack by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a military base in Mairari, Borno State.
The attack reportedly occurred on Tuesday in Guzamala Local Government Area, approximately 120 to 130 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to security sources, the insurgents stormed the military facility in large numbers, triggering an intense gun battle with troops that lasted several hours.
Although the soldiers reportedly repelled the attackers and killed several insurgents, the assault resulted in significant casualties and damage to military equipment. Gun trucks and operational vehicles belonging to the military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were reportedly destroyed.
A security source, speaking anonymously, disclosed that more than 10 soldiers and four civilians were reportedly killed during the attack.
A resident, Ali Bukar Mairari, who fled the area, also corroborated the reports, stating that more than 11 people had died and several operational vehicles had been set ablaze.
The Chairman of Guzamala Local Government Area, Lawan Sheriff, confirmed the incident but declined to disclose specific casualty figures.
Reports of the attack emerged late because the remote community lacks telecommunications coverage, making it difficult for information to reach the outside world promptly.
The incident comes amid growing security concerns in the wider Lake Chad region. In a separate development, suspected terrorists reportedly seized more than 40 locally made fishing boats belonging to fishermen in Tumbun Barebari, also known as Abujan Ruwa.
Mairari remains strategically important as one of the few communities in the area to have survived repeated Boko Haram attacks. The town previously served temporarily as the headquarters of Guzamala Area Council after insurgents captured the council’s official headquarters in Gudumbali.
The continued presence of insurgents in Gudumbali has remained a major concern for local leaders.
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, who hails from Guzamala, has repeatedly criticised the failure to recapture the council headquarters. He has reportedly expressed frustration that repeated appeals for military action have yet to produce the desired results.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages reportedly went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
As of the time of publication, the military high command had not issued an official statement confirming the casualty figures or providing a detailed account of the attack.
Security operations and reinforcement efforts are reportedly continuing in the troubled northern fringes of the Lake Chad region.
