• Urges media to avoid amplifying terrorism propaganda
• Senate honours fallen soldiers, demands tougher response

Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), while admitting that the military suffered some casualties in the terror attacks in the North-East and North-West, noted that the terrorists recorded more casualties than the military.
He, however, assured that troops are on top of the game.

At least 65 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in jihadist raids across the North-East in the last two weeks, as the country battles to contain one of the world’s deadliest terror groups.

Meanwhile, the Senate, yesterday, commended troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) for their bravery in confronting insurgents in the North-East and called for intensified military operations following a deadly attack on a military formation in Kukawa Local Council of Borno State.

At a meeting with the service chiefs yesterday, Musa said: “We are putting in every effort to ensure that we secure the country. We are aware that we have suffered some casualties, but I can tell you the terrorists, the bandits, are taking more.

“We’re taking more of their commanders and assets out, and we’ll continue to do that. We want to appeal to Nigerians not to give up.”

The minister said the meeting reviewed strategies across theatres and assured Nigerians that members of the armed forces were working tirelessly to ensure the country’s security.

He urged the public to ignore information being shared on social media, saying many falsehoods were being spread.

On March 5 and 6, 2026, gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) overran four military bases in Borno, the epicentre of the insurgency. A national daily reported that about 40 soldiers were killed in the attacks.

In a statement on March 7, the same day a mass funeral was held for the fallen troops, the military disputed the death toll but did not provide an alternative number.

Nigerian troops “successfully defeated multiple coordinated attacks launched by ISWAP terrorists on military locations in Delwa, Goniri, Kukawa and Mainok” on March 8 and 9, the army disclosed in another statement.

According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, 300 people, including women and children, were also abducted by ISWAP gunmen, who used sophisticated machinery, including anti-aircraft machine guns and drones, during the raids.

The attacks followed a pattern of coordinated raids by jihadists on military facilities in the country’s north, which is being ravaged by an almost two-decade insurgency that spiked after the extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in July 2009.

President Bola Tinubu has been heavily criticised for seemingly prioritising politics and a mass wedding involving 10 sons and daughters of the junior defence minister, Bello Matawalle, in Abuja last month. On Tuesday, Matawalle also drew flak for a social media post applauding the defection of the governor of Zamfara, his home state, to the ruling party in a week of multiple ISWAP attacks.

Musa has also called on the media across the country to be professional and responsible in their reportage and avoid the dissemination of terrorist propaganda that is capable of demoralising troops and giving undue publicity to criminal elements.

The minister made the call while addressing journalists after a strategic meeting with service chiefs, as they reviewed operational strategies across various theatres of operation in the country.

According to the minister, responsible journalism is critical to sustaining troops’ morale engaged in counter-terrorism operations and to preventing the spread of narratives that may embolden criminal groups.

He warned that the dissemination of unverified information or propaganda originating from terrorist groups could undermine ongoing military efforts and distort public perception of the security situation.

The senators also observed a minute of silence in honour of soldiers who lost their lives during the attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

The resolution followed a motion moved by Senator Mohammed Monguno (Borno North), who drew the Senate’s attention to the assault, which occurred in the early hours of March 9, 2026.

Presenting the motion during plenary, Monguno said the terrorists launched a coordinated attack on an army base in Kukawa, engaging troops in a fierce gun battle that reportedly lasted nearly 24 hours.

According to the lawmaker, the invaders approached the military formation from multiple directions and engaged the troops in intense fighting, resulting in casualties on both sides.

Monguno disclosed that a senior military officer, Lt-Col Umar Faru, and many other soldiers were killed while defending the base against the insurgents.

He expressed concern that some military vehicles were set ablaze and weapons looted during the attack, describing the incident as part of a renewed wave of assaults on military formations in the North-East despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.