Terrorists have killed a senior Nigerian Army officer, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, during a deadly overnight assault on a military base in Borno State, marking the second loss of a high-ranking officer in five months.
According to AFP, the attackers stormed a military formation in Benisheikh, about 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing at least 18 soldiers and destroying military assets before retreating.
Kaga Local Government Chairman, Zannah Lawan Ajimi, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with AFP, describing the attack as devastating. Two intelligence sources also corroborated the killing of the brigade commander.
One of the sources said the terrorists overran the base, inflicting heavy casualties on troops, while another disclosed that several soldiers were killed and operational vehicles and buildings were set ablaze during the raid.
Braimah’s death comes months after Brigadier General Musa Uba was killed in November by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), underscoring growing concerns over the targeting of senior military officers in the protracted conflict.
Nigeria has battled a terrorist insurgency in the northeast since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its uprising. The crisis has since evolved, with the emergence of splinter groups such as ISWAP, intensifying attacks on military and civilian targets.
Recent developments suggest a worrying escalation in violence. Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, has witnessed two suicide bombings since December, signalling a resurgence of tactics reminiscent of the insurgency’s peak.
The deteriorating security situation has also drawn international attention. On Wednesday, the United States authorised the departure of non-emergency government personnel from Abuja, citing rising insecurity.
Beyond the northeast, violence has spread across other regions. In the northwest, gunmen killed at least 90 people in coordinated attacks on remote communities this week, based on figures compiled from local and humanitarian sources.
One of the attacks occurred in Kebbi State, where police blamed a group known as Mahmuda, reportedly linked to Al-Qaeda. The state, bordering Benin and Niger, has witnessed increasing terrorist activity since 2025.
Security analysts, including data from conflict monitor ACLED, have warned of a surge in militant operations tied to both Al-Qaeda and Islamic State networks, raising fears of further expansion of the conflict across Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.
Source: AFP
