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The continued loss of military commanders and troops to terrorists in the North-East is a sad commentary on the prosecution of the war against insurgency in Nigeria. This shows that insecurity in the country is escalating and morphing into a war situation. It is regrettable and unacceptable.
The casualties suffered by our troops recently do not bode well for the war. In January 2026, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked Damasak military base in Borno State and killed the camp’s senior military officer who was a Major and some others. On March 1, terrorists attacked Mayenti camp in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State and killed the camp leader, Major Umar Mairiga, and many others.
On March 6, the commander of 222 Battalion in Konduga, Lt. Col S.I. Iliyasu, was killed. Camp commander, Lt. Col. Umar Farouq, and many other soldiers were killed when insurgents overran a military base at Kukawa LGA of Borno State on March 9.
One month after, the Brigade Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, Benisheikh, in Kaga LGA of Borno State, Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah, was killed by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. In this case, the only available Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was reportedly not functional.
In the past few years, at least four Brigadier Generals and four colonels have been killed in the North-East of Nigeria. In November 2018, the commander of the 157 Task Force Battalion, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Sakaba, was killed in an attack in Metele, Borno State.
In September 2020, Col. Dahiru Bako was ambushed and attacked near Wajiroko in Borno State. He later died from injuries sustained during the attack. In the same September 2020, Lt. Col. Z. Manu was killed in a bandit ambush in Katsina State. In November 2021, the commander of the 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok, Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkusu, was killed by ISWAP in an ambush in Askira Uba, Borno State. Some other soldiers were killed as well.
In 2025, ISWAP terrorists ambushed troops on Damboa-Wajiroko Road in Borno State. They killed Brigadier General Musa Uba and some of his soldiers. The same year, the Boko Haram insurgents killed the commanding officer of the 202 Battalion in Bama LGA of Borno State, Col. Aliyu Paiko, and some other soldiers. The presence of fifth columnists among our troops in the war against terror cannot be ruled out. That can explain possible leakage of intelligence to the terrorists.
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In an effort to rout the insurgents, the Nigerian Air Force bombed Jilli Market situated between Gubio LGA of Borno State and Geidam LGA of Yobe State on April 11. Unfortunately, over 100 civilians were killed. The military had claimed the bombing only targeted terrorists who reportedly patronized the local market for their food supplies. Poor intelligence gathering could have led to this unfortunate incident. This should be thoroughly investigated as ordered by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.
Nigeria has witnessed such bombing mishaps in Kaduna and some other places. Since 2017, such mistaken bombing has reportedly killed over 500 civilians in Nigeria. We call for precision bombings to avert such accidents in future. The victims of the attack should be given adequate support.
Government has spent so much on the war against terrorism without much success. It should go against terror financiers who happen to be the lifeblood of these insurgents. On April 13, 2026, a French court set an example by sentencing a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lafarge, Bruno Lafont, to six years imprisonment for financing terrorism. Some other employees of the cement company, including a former deputy managing director, Christian Herrault, were also jailed for the same offence. Lafarge, a French cement company now owned by Swiss conglomerate, Holcim, allegedly paid about €5.6 million ($6.5 million) to terrorist organisations to keep its factory running in northern Syria between 2013 and 2014.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had similarly jailed six Nigerians, designated as Boko Haram financiers, in 2021. They were charged with transferring about $782,000 from Dubai to Boko Haram in Nigeria. Two of them got life jail while the other four got 10-year jail term. Their assets were frozen.
The Nigerian government recently released an updated list of 48 terror financiers in the country. Efforts must be made to prosecute and punish them severely. Their main source of funds, which is mining, must be blocked.
In all, the war against terror needs to be recalibrated in terms of equipment and welfare of our troops. The military should be proactive by confronting the terrorists frontally in their forest hideouts. Some 200 United States soldiers were deployed in Nigeria a few weeks ago. We are yet to see the impact of that deployment. We should stop losing military commanders in this war against rag-tag insurgents.
