Nigeria: Jihadists kill General in army base attack

Nigeria’s fragile security situation has seemingly been undermined once again following an attack on an army base that killed an army General, according to RFI via AFP on April 10th.

Brigadier General O.O. Braimah was killed in an attack on a military base in Benisheikh, located in the northeastern Borno State’s Kaga district, alongside at least 18 soldiers.

Attacks targeting military bases in Pulka, Benisheikh, and Munguno occurred between April 8th and April 9th; all are located in Borno State.

It is unclear which Islamist group is responsible for these attacks; however, Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are particularly active in Borno State.

Both groups are affiliated with the Islamic State and seek to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria, which would be governed by Sharia Law.

The death of Braimah marks the second assassination of a high-ranking Nigerian army officer in under six months, as Brigadier General Musa Uba was killed by ISWAP militants in Borno State’s Damboa in November 2025.

Military bases have been repeatedly targeted by Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad region; Borno State borders Cameroon, which has also experienced growing jihadist violence.

Defence Minister General Musa has acknowledged the increasing number of attacks against soldiers, but has maintained that jihadists have suffered higher losses.

Islamist violence is not limited to northeastern Nigeria, as jihadist organisations have become increasingly entrenched throughout the West African country due to its insecure borders and political instability.

Northwestern and central Nigeria also experience violence from criminal gangs, known as bandits, who perpetrate deadly raids and kidnap civilians for ransom.

Lakurawa, another Islamic State-affiliated organisation, primarily operates in northwestern Nigeria, in Kebbi State and Sokoto State, the latter of which has also experienced violence from the Nigerian military.

Furthermore, the border region between Nigeria, Niger and Benin has also experienced growing jihadist violence from groups including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

Concerns about growing Islamist terrorism have prompted the US to deploy troops to Nigeria, while US President Donald Trump had previously ordered air strikes against alleged Islamic State camps in December 2025.

The presence of US troops is possibly linked to allegations of a Christian genocide being perpetrated in Nigeria, which Trump has endorsed, despite independent analysts and human rights organisations finding no evidence of widespread Christian persecution in Nigeria.

RFI via AFP, Maghrebi.org