At least 11 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a militant attack on a military base in Yobe State, northeast Nigeria, according to military sources. The assault, reportedly carried out by fighters from the ISWAP, took place late Friday in the town of Buni Gari.
Sources said the insurgents arrived in several vehicles equipped with heavy weaponry and rocket-propelled grenades. After a fierce gun battle, they overran the base, killed the soldiers, and set the facility on fire. Multiple military vehicles and buildings were also destroyed in the attack. The assailants reportedly looted weapons before torching the site.
“The terrorists attacked the base with heavy firepower, killed 11 soldiers, and razed the entire base,” one officer said, warning the death toll could rise, as several troops remain unaccounted for.
Graphic videos seen by journalists show the charred wreckage of armoured vehicles and burning trucks. The body of one soldier was found decapitated, underscoring the brutality of the assault.
The Buni Gari base, located about 60 kilometres from Damaturu, the state capital, has suffered repeated attacks in recent years. The region has long been a hotspot in Nigeria’s 16-year insurgency, led by Boko Haram and ISWAP, which has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people.
This marks the eighth attack on a military base in the northeast in the past two months. In response to sustained militant pressure, the Nigerian military had previously consolidated its troops into larger “super camps” to improve defense capability. However, critics argue that this has left rural areas and travellers more exposed to insurgent activity.
Earlier this week, 26 civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a landmine near the border town of Rann. ISWAP later claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Insurgent violence has intensified in recent months, with over 100 civilians killed in April alone. During a visit to Katsina on Friday, President Bola Tinubu vowed to bolster the military’s capacity to combat terrorism, banditry, and insurgency, describing the threat as a long-standing national challenge.