A major wave of violence has erupted in the Lake Chad region, with at least 100 terrorists reportedly killed as Boko Haram fighters engaged in an intense battle with their ISWAP rivals.
Counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama revealed that Boko Haram forces, led by commanders Hassan Buduma and Mohd Hassan, launched coordinated offensives that overran several ISWAP camps between November 5 and 8.
The clashes occurred across strategic island locations, including Sahel 1, Dogon Chuku, Mangari, and multiple riverine bases around Tumbun Gini, Tumbun Dalo, Tumbun Shanu, and Dumba.
Makama, known for tracking terror group movements, said the attackers used heavily armed motorised watercraft to storm ISWAP positions and hinted at more updates to follow.
At the same time, the Nigerian Air Force has intensified counter-terrorism operations nationwide, carrying out targeted airstrikes that neutralised ISWAP elements in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram in Borno State.
NAF aircraft also destroyed bandit enclaves in Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, as well as Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
According to NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the coordinated missions on November 9 marked a decisive phase in ongoing Operations Hadin Kai and Fansan Yamma.
He stated that the air interdictions delivered significant blows to entrenched terrorists and bandits, guided by credible intelligence.
Ejodame added that the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma (Sector 1) also conducted extensive armed reconnaissance across parts of Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna, covering Kakihum, Dankolo, Kotonkoro, and Kuyello, in a sustained push to degrade criminal networks operating across the Northwest corridor.
In a related development, the Nigeria Police Force has deployed 325 newly trained bomb technicians from its EOD-CBRN unit to boost national counter-IED capacity.
Commissioner Hauwa Ibrahim, speaking at their graduation in Akwanga, said the officers received specialised training designed to equip them with the skills needed to detect, handle, and neutralise explosive and radiological threats in line with IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s modernisation agenda.