Nigeria’s armed forces have recorded the loss of three commanding officers leading forward operating bases following separate attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province across parts of Borno State within a seven-day period.
The incidents have drawn attention to the continuing security challenges in the North-East despite sustained military operations aimed at weakening insurgent groups operating in the region.
Available records show that the latest casualties raise the number of commanding officers lost in recent months to seven, alongside the death of one brigadier general during separate engagements with insurgents.
Military operations have in recent times intensified in areas widely identified as insurgent strongholds, including the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains and parts of the Lake Chad Basin.
Security updates from the armed forces have repeatedly indicated that many insurgent fighters and commanders have been killed during raids and clearance operations carried out by troops across these locations.
Despite these operations, insurgent fighters have continued to launch attacks on communities and military formations in parts of Borno State.
Records obtained from security sources and media reports show that the three officers who died within the one-week period were Major U.I. Mairiga, Lt-Col Umar Faruq and Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu.
Major U.I. Mairiga was serving as the commanding officer of the forward operations base in Mayenti, while Lt-Col Umar Faruq led troops stationed at Kukawa and was associated with the 101 Brigade.
Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu was the commanding officer of the 222 Battalion based in Konduga.
The most recent incident occurred in Kukawa Local Government Area when insurgents launched an overnight assault on a military camp in the town.
Sources said the attackers reportedly approached the area from several directions before confronting troops stationed at the facility.
During the clash, the commanding officer, Lt-Col Umar Faruq, and several soldiers were killed.
A security source familiar with the incident said, “They stormed the town from multiple directions and launched an assault on the military camp. They dislodged the troops, set vehicles ablaze and carted away ammunition.”
The source added, “I cannot confirm the number of casualties, but sadly we also lost the commanding officer.”
The spokesman for the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col Sani Uba, later confirmed that a military officer died during the incident.
Lt-Col Umar Faruq had earlier commanded troops that repelled an earlier assault on the same location weeks before the fatal attack.
Residents of the community were reported to have expressed appreciation for the earlier defence of the town after insurgents attempted to penetrate the area.
Another officer, Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, lost his life on March 1 during an attack on the forward operating base in Mayenti located in Bama Local Government Area.
A security source familiar with the battle said the officer led resistance against the attackers before the insurgents eventually overpowered the position.
The source said, “The unit commander, Major U.I. Mairiga, gave the terrorists a tough fight but was eventually overpowered after some of his soldiers fled into the bush.”
The source added, “He died a brave soldier. He killed many of them before being overpowered. When I arrived as reinforcement, we recovered RPGs, anti-aircraft weapons and saw many corpses of Boko Haram fighters.”
The officer had reportedly been posted to the base only a few months earlier following a promotion.
Days after the Mayenti attack, another incident occurred in Konduga Local Government Area where Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu was killed during an engagement with insurgent fighters.
The attack also resulted in the deaths of several soldiers attached to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade.
Reports indicated that a lieutenant was among the casualties recorded during the encounter.
Beyond the recent incidents, earlier attacks in the region have also claimed the lives of other commanding officers in recent months.
On January 28, Boko Haram fighters attacked a military formation in Damasak, killing seven soldiers, including the commanding officer, during an ambush near the town.
Security sources said the patrol team was intercepted during a movement around the area before the officers were captured.
The commanding officer was later executed alongside other soldiers.
Another incident occurred in October 2025 when the Nigerian Army confirmed the death of Aliyu Saidu Paiko, the commanding officer of the 202 Battalion, during an encounter with insurgent fighters in Bama Local Government Area.
The army spokesperson at the time, Appolonia Anele, stated that troops under Operation Hadin Kai had engaged insurgents during an attack in Kashimri in Bama.
Several soldiers were reported killed during that confrontation.
More recently, insurgents also carried out attacks on military formations in Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area where soldiers were reportedly killed.
Local sources said the attack involved a large group of insurgents who moved into the area during the night.
The incident was also linked with the abduction of more than one hundred residents from surrounding communities.
Residents displaced by the attack reportedly moved to Pulka, a neighbouring town, for safety.
Another community affected by insurgent activity was Dalwa in Konduga Local Government Area where houses were damaged and residents forced to flee.
Dalwa had earlier been resettled by the Borno State Government after years of displacement caused by insurgent activities.
Security updates also indicate that insurgents attempted coordinated assaults on several military locations in both Borno and neighbouring Yobe State.
According to the military, the attacks targeted communities and troop positions in Dalwa, Goniri, Kukawa and Mainok as well as remote locations inside the Sambisa Forest.
The Joint Task Force North-East confirmed that the incidents occurred during coordinated attacks launched by insurgents between late evening and the early hours of the following day.
The military statement said the attackers moved towards troop positions in several waves in an attempt to breach defensive lines.
According to the statement, troops resisted the assaults while reinforcements and air support from the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai assisted in the defence.
After prolonged exchanges of fire, insurgents were said to have withdrawn from the affected locations.
The military also reported that weapons abandoned by the fleeing attackers were later recovered from the battlefield.
Among the items listed were PKT machine guns, AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenade bombs and other ammunition.
According to the military, some defensive perimeters were briefly breached during the fighting while a number of structures and vehicles were damaged.
However, the armed forces maintained that all affected locations remain under the control of troops.
The military also stated that follow-up operations were ongoing in nearby communities where some insurgents were believed to have retreated after the confrontations.
The statement added, “Regrettably, the engagements claimed the lives of some brave soldiers, including an outstanding officer in Kukawa who paid the ultimate price in defence of our nation and the protection of innocent citizens.”
