Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has visited troops in Borno State following an attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters that killed 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
Shaibu arrived in Maiduguri on Saturday, October 17, for an operational assessment visit to the North-East theatre, days after militants overran a military base in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area, looted weapons and set the facility ablaze.
During the visit, the army chief addressed troops serving under Operation Hadin Kai, the military operation targeting Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents in the region. He urged them to sustain offensive operations, remain vigilant and maintain discipline and professionalism.
Shaibu also pledged continued improvements in troop welfare and operational capacity, including better combat equipment, accommodation, medical care and timely troop rotation. He later visited wounded soldiers and assured them of continued medical treatment and rehabilitation support.
The Mairari attack occurred overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to defence and local sources. A Nigerian military officer told AFP that the assailants killed 15 soldiers and five civilian militia members during the assault.
The attackers reportedly overwhelmed the troops, looted weapons and destroyed the base before withdrawing. Some soldiers were reported missing, raising concerns among their colleagues that they might have been captured. The military had not issued a detailed public statement on the incident at the time of reporting.
The visit came amid renewed security concerns across Borno, the epicentre of an insurgency that began in 2009 with Boko Haram and later expanded through the emergence of ISWAP.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across northeastern Nigeria. Although violence declined from its peak about a decade ago, attacks on military positions and civilian communities have increased in recent years.
Shaibu’s visit also followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security chiefs to intensify efforts to rescue abducted people and dismantle terrorist and bandit camps across the country. The directive was announced by Defence Minister Christopher Musa after a security meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The army chief received operational briefings from theatre and sector commanders on the security situation and emerging challenges in the North-East. He called on troops to consolidate operational gains and continue efforts to weaken the insurgents’ capacity to attack military formations.
The latest casualties underscore the continuing risks faced by Nigerian forces operating in remote areas around the Lake Chad basin, where insurgents have repeatedly targeted military bases to seize weapons and undermine counterinsurgency operations.
The effectiveness of the renewed offensive will depend on sustained operational support, reliable intelligence, adequate equipment and the protection of communities affected by the conflict.
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