Suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a coordinated assault on a Nigerian military base in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday, May 12, killing several soldiers and seizing critical military assets.
Conflicting initial reports put the death toll between four and seven soldiers. Local media, including YERWA EXPRESS NEWS, cited Civilian Joint Task Force members who reported that the base was stormed and overpowered.
Military sources, however, confirmed to AFP that four troops were killed in the early morning raid, with several others missing and feared captured.
The attackers temporarily took control of the base, making away with weapons, three gun trucks, and 70 motorcycles that had been procured for counter-insurgency operations. The base was later set ablaze, and troops who survived the attack retreated to another military facility in Dikwa, approximately 38 kilometres away.
A video circulating on social media showed the aftermath of the attack, including the bodies of uniformed soldiers partially covered with leaves and surrounded by mourning colleagues. “Many soldiers are still missing, with some believed to have been captured,” a military officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Marte base attack is the ninth such incident targeting Nigerian military installations in the last two months. On May 2, ISWAP fighters attacked another base in Buni Gari, Yobe State, killing at least 11 troops and razing the facility.
Military analysts say the continued targeting of army bases by ISWAP reflects operational vulnerabilities, as well as the strategic intent of the group to seize military hardware.
A study by the UK-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) indicated that roughly 20 per cent of jihadist weapons in the Sahel are captured directly from state military forces during such raids.
Since 2019, the Nigerian military has consolidated many smaller outposts into larger, fortified “super camps” to resist insurgent attacks more effectively. However, the recent surge in assaults suggests that these efforts have not significantly reduced the threat posed by ISWAP and its affiliates.
The group, a splinter faction of Boko Haram, has intensified attacks on military and civilian targets across northeastern Nigeria and is believed to be strengthening its ties with jihadist groups across the Sahel.
Nigeria’s military continues to face multiple security challenges across different regions of the country, stretching its operational capacity. These include jihadist insurgency in the northeast, kidnapping and armed banditry in the northwest, intercommunal violence in the Middle Belt, and secessionist agitations in the southeast.
During a recent visit to Katsina State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reiterated his administration’s resolve to strengthen the capacity of the armed forces, saying the threats posed by terrorism and insurgency “have persisted for too long.”
The Nigerian military has yet to issue an official statement on the Marte attack.
