8 Soldiers feared dead as Boko Haram attack military base in Borno

At least eight Nigerian soldiers have reportedly been killed following an attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on a military base along the Mandara–Buratai Road in Borno State.

According to military sources, the attack occurred in the early hours of Friday during a period of heavy rainfall, which reportedly provided cover for the insurgents as they launched the assault.

A source at the base confirmed the incident, revealing that several other soldiers sustained injuries during the attack.

Another military source told our correspondence that the insurgents overran parts of the military formation and launched a fierce assault on personnel deployed at the location.

The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting security forces in the North-East, where troops continue to battle Boko Haram and rival insurgent groups operating in the region.

Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the casualty figures or the extent of damage caused by the attack. However, military sources indicated that efforts were ongoing to assess the situation and reinforce security in the area.

“162 Battalion Mandara Buratai Road, eight soldiers were killed in action. They attacked us at 4 a.m. today (Friday) when it was raining,” the source said.

Another military source told our correspondence that the attackers overran parts of the facility and carried out a brutal assault on troops stationed there.

“They killed eight soldiers and beheaded them. Several others were injured during the attack,” the source said.

This newspaper gathered that the terrorists stormed the military position in large numbers, catching the troops off guard amid the bad weather conditions.

Security sources added that reinforcement teams had been deployed to the area following the attack, while efforts were ongoing to assess the full extent of casualties and recover the base.

Our correspondence also obtained gory footage and images from the scene showing the aftermath of the assault, confirming the scale of the incident, though officials have yet to issue an official statement.

The latest attack adds to a series of renewed assaults by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters targeting military formations in the North-East, despite ongoing counterinsurgency operations by the Nigerian military.