Militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), on Friday launched a deadly attack on a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State, killing an unconfirmed number of Nigerian soldiers and destroying military equipment.
Military sources told SaharaReporters that the insurgents stormed the town in large numbers, opening fire indiscriminately before targeting the Army outpost with explosives.
A top military source said, “The attack occurred this morning, 06/02/2025, at an Army outpost along Maiduguri–Damaturu Road in Jakana town by Boko Haram terrorists, with many casualties recorded on our side.
“Their corpses have been transferred to 7 Division military hospital in Maiduguri.”
The terrorists, believed to be ISWAP fighters, reportedly destroyed armoured vehicles and military trucks during the raid. They also carted away ammunition and supplies from the military facility.
Sources said soldiers were forced to flee into the surrounding bush as the terrorists launched their coordinated assault from multiple directions.
“They came in different groups, and we couldn’t even count them,” one source added.
The incident comes barely days after another deadly ambush on a military base in Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, in which multiple soldiers were reportedly killed.
Just a week earlier, seven personnel, including a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel, were ambushed and killed by insurgents while en route from Maiduguri to Damasak in Mobbar LGA.
“The terrorists used explosives and heavy gunfire in that attack,” a source had said.
Several soldiers were wounded in that ambush, while some remain unaccounted for.
Despite repeated claims by the Nigerian Army that the insurgency has been “technically defeated,” attacks by ISWAP continue to intensify, especially in areas near the Lake Chad region.
Since the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has consolidated its control, attracting large numbers of former Boko Haram fighters.
The decade-long insurgency has claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions, particularly in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.