Maiduguri, Borno State — At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and several others injured after Boko Haram insurgents launched a predawn attack on a military formation in Borno State on Friday, with military sources reporting that some of the slain troops were beheaded after the assault.
The attack reportedly occurred at about 3:00 a.m. along the Mandara–Buratai Road, where troops of the 162 Battalion were stationed. Security sources said the insurgents struck during heavy rainfall, taking advantage of poor visibility to launch a coordinated offensive against the military position.
According to sources familiar with the incident, the attackers arrived in large numbers and engaged troops in a fierce gun battle that lasted for several hours. The insurgents allegedly breached sections of the military formation, overwhelming some of the personnel on duty.
Military sources said eight soldiers lost their lives during the confrontation, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. The wounded personnel were reportedly evacuated for medical treatment, although authorities have yet to disclose the exact number of casualties.
One military source claimed that some of the soldiers killed during the attack were beheaded by the insurgents after they were overpowered, a development that has further highlighted the brutality associated with extremist operations in Nigeria’s North-East region.
“The attack happened around 4 a.m. while it was raining heavily. We lost eight soldiers during the assault, and several others sustained injuries,” a source familiar with the operation said.
Another source disclosed that the insurgents exploited the weather conditions and launched a surprise assault that caught troops off guard before reinforcements could be mobilised to the area.
The latest attack underscores the persistent security challenges confronting Nigerian troops despite years of counterinsurgency operations against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). In recent months, insurgent groups have intensified attacks on military formations and civilian communities across parts of Borno State, raising concerns over renewed militant activity in the region.
Security analysts say the continued ability of insurgent groups to launch coordinated assaults on military positions demonstrates the evolving tactics of extremist fighters and the need for sustained intelligence-driven operations to counter the threat.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had not issued an official statement on the incident. Efforts to obtain official confirmation regarding the reported casualties and allegations of beheadings were unsuccessful but there were videos of the attack released on social media.
The attack is the latest in a series of deadly assaults targeting security personnel in Nigeria’s North-East, a region that has remained the epicentre of the country’s insurgency for more than a decade. Authorities are expected to conduct a full assessment of the incident as military operations continue across the affected areas.
