At least 19 soldiers, including a commander, lost their lives during an assault on a military base in Malam-Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Malam-Fatori, a border town located just two kilometers from Niger’s Bosso community, was the site of the deadly attack on Friday, January 24, 2025.
According to reliable sources, the assailants launched a prolonged offensive on the 149 Battalion’s base, causing significant destruction before overpowering the troops. Survivors were reportedly forced to flee for safety.
Intelligence reports revealed that the insurgents arrived in multiple gun trucks, destroying several buildings and military operational vehicles during the coordinated attack.
“Many soldiers were seriously injured while several other personnel have gone missing,” a source confided in Channels Television.
“The commanding officer of the battalion a lieutenant Colonel, two senior officers, including the base medical director, were among those killed in the attack.”
The 149 Taskforce Brigade base in Malam-Fatori, located two kilometers from Niger’s border town of Bosso, was ambushed by insurgents suspected to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
A military source informed Channels Television that the assault occurred as troops were conducting routine operations in the Timbuktu Triangle. The insurgents ambushed them, resulting in the death of the brigade’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alari.
Neither the Defence Headquarters nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official statement regarding the incident.
ISWAP, which split from Boko Haram in 2016, has since become the dominant militant faction in northeastern Nigeria. The group controls significant territories, including the Timbuktu Triangle and Sambisa Forest, and is known for tactics such as planting roadside mines and deploying explosives in vehicles to target military personnel.
Last year, in July, seven soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck a landmine in an area active with ISWAP militants.
The ongoing conflict, which began 15 years ago, has claimed 40,000 lives and displaced over two million people, extending its violence into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. This led to the establishment of a regional force to combat the militants.