At least 10 soldiers and four civilians are feared dead following a coordinated assault by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on a military base in Mairari, Borno State.
The attack, which took place last Tuesday, occurred in the Guzamala Local Government Area, roughly 120 to 130 kilometers north of the state capital, Maiduguri.
According to credible security sources, the insurgents stormed the military formation in large numbers, engaging troops in a fierce, hours-long gun battle.
While troops reportedly fought back valiantly and neutralised scores of attackers, the terrorists ultimately inflicted heavy casualties and caused significant destruction to military hardware, including gun trucks and operational vehicles belonging to both troops and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
“More than 10 soldiers and four civilians have reportedly been killed after suspected fighters of the Islamic State-backed faction attacked the military formation,” a security source said on the condition of anonymity.
Ali Bukar Mairari, a resident who fled the scene, corroborated the accounts, stating that more than 11 people were killed and multiple operational vehicles were set ablaze during the raid.
Lawan Sheriff, the chairman of Guzamala, confirmed the attack, though he did not provide casualty figures.
Information about the incident reached the public late due to the complete absence of telecommunication networks in the area.
The assault on Mairari follows another recent security breach in the wider Lake Chad region, where terrorists reportedly seized more than 40 locally made fishing boats from fishermen in Tumbun Barebari, an area known as Abujan Ruwa.
Mairari holds strategic importance as one of the few towns in the area to survive multiple Boko Haram onslaughts, having temporarily served as the headquarters of the Guzamala local government council after terrorists captured the official headquarters in Gudumbali.
The continued insurgent stronghold in Gudumbali remains a source of frustration for local leaders.
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, who hails from Guzamala, has repeatedly decried the inability of security agencies to reclaim the council headquarters, though his appeals have yet to yield the desired military action.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered at the time of reporting.
The military high command has not yet released an official casualty toll or a formal statement regarding the Mairari incident as security operations and reinforcement efforts continue in the troubled northern fringes of lake Chad.
Troops kill Lakurawa terrorists in Sokoto
Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Task Force, North West, under Operation Fansan Yamma, have overrun a Lakurawa terrorists’ enclave in Waria Forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing several terrorists and recovering weapons and five motorcycles.
The operation was conducted on October 15, 2026, as troops of Sector 2 advanced through identified terrorist hideouts around Alela, Bilange and Kandam villages towards Waria Forest.
According to a statement by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, the troops engaged the terrorists in a firefight and overwhelmed them with superior firepower, forcing them to flee deeper into the forest.
He said the troops pursued the fleeing terrorists, neutralising some of them before destroying their camps and other structures used to support their activities.
Danja added that weapons and five motorcycles were recovered during the operation.
He said troops had maintained a strong presence in the area and continued clearance operations to deny the terrorists freedom of movement and improve security in surrounding communities.
The theatre command commended the troops for their courage and sustained efforts, urging residents to support ongoing military operations by providing timely and credible information about suspicious movements and activities in their communities.
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