Suspected Boko Haram members, in the early hours of yesterday, launched a violent assault on Bassa, a garrison town in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to local sources, the attack began around 5:30 a.m., with residents reporting sounds of sporadic gunfire echoing through the town. The town of Bassa, which has endured repeated assaults from insurgents, was the site of a deadly attack earlier this year, where soldiers, including a high-ranking captain, were killed.

The security situation had forced the withdrawal of troops from the town. However, residents recently returned after the government deployed joint security forces to restore order and safeguard the area.

A source, who spoke with newsmen, said security forces advised residents to stay indoors while they engaged the assailants in a fierce gun battle. The source, who had received a call from someone in Bassa, confirmed the clash between the security forces and the terrorists.

Bassa has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram militants believed to be operating from camps in the nearby Allawa forest reserve. The town has also suffered from attacks by bandits crossing from Zamfara and Kaduna through the Kuyambana and Kamuku forest reserves.

Local authorities were yet to provide further details on the current situation or any potential casualties from the latest attack as of press time yesterday.
This is as additional soldiers have been deployed in Moriki town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, as the deadline for payment of N30 million levy imposed on the community by the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, has elapsed.

Turji imposed a levy of N30 million on the community following the killing of over 100 cows belonging to him, allegedly by military personnel about three weeks ago. The cows were intercepted by the soldiers at Dumfawa, a village between Moriki and Shinkafi town sometime in August. On Tuesday, Chief of Defence Staff, Chris Musa, said the days of Turji are numbered, announcing that his men had launched a manhunt for the bandit.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, yesterday disclosed that terrorism has provided cover for other crimes such as political assassination, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent acts to thrive.

Lagbaja said this at the third counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency seminar organised by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.

Represented by the Deputy Chief of Operations (Army), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, Lagbaja said that Nigeria was facing different forms of insurgencies in the six geo-political zones, adding that those involved had resorted to the use of terror in the pursuit of their agendas.

Quoting the Statista 2023 report, he noted that Nigeria has one of the highest terrorism threat levels in the world. This has been blamed on the fact that several terrorist and militant groups are active in Nigeria, leading to attacks on both civilian and military targets.

“Notable among these groups are Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) in the North-East in pursuit of a supposed Caliphate initially physically, but now in a digital form. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South-East pursuing a breakaway agenda from the country.

“Terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria have created cover under which other crimes and violence are perpetrated by criminal gangs. Armed robbers have found an alibi to loot banks, while politically hired assassins operate under the cover of terrorists like Boko Haram,” he said.