Senior Army Officers Among Soldiers Feared Killed in Deadly ISWAP Raid on Borno Base

Story: Written by Joseph March 2,2026
Tragedy struck the Nigerian military on Saturday evening after suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province carried out a deadly assault on a forward operations base near Bama town in Borno State.
Security sources disclosed that the attackers stormed the military position at Banki Junction along the Bama–Gwoza Road around 6:30 p.m., just as Muslim troops were breaking their Ramadan fast. The insurgents reportedly exploited the moment to breach the base and unleash heavy gunfire.
At least nine soldiers were feared killed in the raid, including a Major and a Captain, while several others sustained critical injuries. The attackers, said to have arrived in large numbers on motorcycles and gun-mounted Hilux vehicles, engaged troops in a fierce exchange of fire.
The base attacked belongs to the 194 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, stationed at the strategic Banki Junction near Bama Local Government Area.
A separate security source confirmed that two ambulances transporting the bodies of fallen soldiers and wounded personnel arrived at the Nigerian Army’s 7 Division Hospital on Sunday afternoon, underscoring the scale of casualties from the attack linked to Islamic State West Africa Province.
The latest assault highlights ongoing security challenges in the North-East, despite sustained military operations against insurgent groups in the region.