Nigeria: Jihadists kill at least 25 in attack

At least 25 people were killed on January 29th when jihadist militants launched an attack in north-eastern Nigeria, according to Africa News and agencies on January 31st.

The attack occurred in Borno State, where most of the victims were labourers who had travelled to the town of Sabon Gari to work on a construction site; at least nine soldiers and two civil task force members were killed in the attack, while 16 people were injured.

Officials said that extremist fighters raided an army base in Sabon Gari in a separate attack, hours before the gunmen launched the deadly ambush.

Boko Haram, an Islamic State-affiliated militant group, is suspected of perpetrating the attack. However, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) said it was unclear if Boko Haram or the splinter group, Islamic State in Western Province (ISWAP), were responsible for the assault.

Armed jihadist groups are particularly active in northern Nigeria, with Borno State being embroiled in conflict for over 16 years due to an armed insurgency by Boko Haram, which was formed in 2009 and aims to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

The establishment of an Islamic State governed by Sharia Law is a primary objective of Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates to “Western education is a sin.”

It was reported in October that more than 5,000 Borno State residents had fled to neighbouring Cameroon after Boko Haram militants seized the town of Kirawa, where they burned homes and attacked civilians.

Borno State has faced frequent violence from Boko Haram; the group’s presence has effectively turned towns into militarised zones, which have restricted access to vital services, such as healthcare.

However, jihadist violence is not limited to Nigeria, as the Sahel region more broadly has become a global epicentre for Islamic terrorism, including in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which are all led by military junta governments.

Furthermore, Boko Haram’s hold on the region has expanded into neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger; groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, such as the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), have staged insurgencies in Mali and Burkina Faso.

In 2024, the UN warned that Islamic State-affiliated groups represented a growing threat in West Africa and the Sahel region; Boko Haram has also been accused of exploiting regional instability and tensions to drive support for extremism.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org