Jihadists kill Nigerian brigadier general — Report

Jihadists have killed a Nigerian brigadier general, O.O. Braimah, during an attack on a military base in the northeast, marking the second loss of a senior officer within five months.

According to an AFP report, security sources said the overnight assault targeted a military base in Benisheikh, about 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. At least 18 soldiers were reportedly killed, while vehicles and infrastructure were destroyed.

“Unfortunately, the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, lost his life,” Kaga Local Government Chairman Zannah Lawan Ajimi told AFP in a phone interview.

Two intelligence sources also confirmed the death of the senior officer.

His killing comes months after Brigadier General Musa Uba was killed by ISWAP in November, one of the highest-ranking casualties in the conflict in recent years.

“They overran the brigade,” one of the intelligence sources said, putting the death toll at “at least” 18.

Another source said that “the terrorists killed several troops” and “burnt vehicles and buildings before they withdrew,” without providing a specific figure.

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Military authorities and Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters had yet to respond to requests for comment at the time of filing this report.

Analysts have warned that violence linked to jihadist groups has intensified since 2025, with a growing frequency of attacks across multiple regions.

Maiduguri has recorded two suicide bombings since December, raising fears of a return to the scale of urban violence seen at the peak of the insurgency.

On Wednesday, the US State Department said it was authorising “non-emergency US government employees” to leave Abuja “due to the deteriorating security situation”.

Although much of the insurgency remains concentrated in the northeast, there are growing concerns about its spread to other parts of the country.

In the northwest, armed groups have continued to raid communities, killing at least 90 people across several villages this week, according to local and humanitarian sources.

One of the attacks in Kebbi State was linked to a jihadist group identified by police as Mahmuda, reportedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Kebbi, which borders Benin and Niger, has witnessed a rise in such attacks since 2025.

Data from conflict monitoring group ACLED also indicates a surge in violence carried out by groups linked to both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

There are also signs of militant expansion into central and western regions. In neighbouring Kwara State, fighters linked to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM claimed responsibility for an attack in October.

In December, the United States, with support from Nigerian authorities, carried out airstrikes in Sokoto State targeting Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) fighters, who are typically active in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

(AFP)