Military Base Attack in Borno Claims Life of Senior Officer Major U.I Mairiga, Several Troops

Military Base Attack in Borno Claims Life of Senior Officer Major U.I Mairiga, Several Troops.

A senior officer of the Nigerian Army was among those killed in action on Sunday after fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed a military camp in Borno State.

Military sources confirmed that Major U.I. Mairiga, the commanding officer at the Forward Operating Base in Kajeri, lost his life during the assault which began around 4:00 am. The base is located at the Banki junction, a busy intersection along the Bama–Gwoza Road.

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The attack saw a large number of ISWAP fighters engage troops in a fierce gun battle. According to security personnel who spoke about the incident, the terrorists arrived with superior firepower and managed to overrun parts of the base in the early moments of the fighting. In the chaos that followed, some soldiers had to pull back and take cover in the nearby bushes to reorganize.

Aside from Major Mairiga, several other soldiers were confirmed dead. While the exact number of casualties has not been officially released, sources on the ground described the losses as heavy on both sides, with many insurgents also believed to have been killed during the exchange.

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After the fighting died down, the remains of Major Mairiga and the other fallen soldiers were moved to the 7 Division Military Hospital in Maiduguri. The hospital morgue received the bodies as colleagues and commanders came to terms with the day’s events.

The Banki junction holds strategic value for the military as it connects the towns of Bama, Banki, and Gwoza. The location is often used as a passage for troops and supplies. Sunday’s attack marks one of the more direct and deadly assaults on a fixed military formation in the region in recent weeks.

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As of the time of this report, the Nigerian Army’s spokesperson had not issued a formal statement regarding the incident. However, military sources say that troops in the area have been placed on high alert, with reinforcements deployed to prevent any further movement by the terrorists and to secure the major road linking the three towns.

The attack comes at a time when the military has been working to push back insurgents from key areas in the Northeast. The death of a commanding officer in such a close-quarters fight is a reminder of the risks troops face daily in the theatre of operation.

Military Base Attack in Borno Claims Life of Senior Officer Major U.I Mairiga, Several Troops.