A brigadier general in the Nigerian Army has been killed alongside at least 18 soldiers following a deadly overnight assault by terrorists on a military base in Borno State, according to an AFP report.
The attack occurred in Benisheikh, a town located about 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where insurgents reportedly overran a brigade formation, killing troops and destroying military assets.
Kaga Local Government Chairman, Zannah Lawan Ajimi, confirmed that the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, was among those killed in the attack.
“Unfortunately, the brigade commander… lost his life,” Ajimi said in a telephone interview.
Security sources cited in the report disclosed that the attackers stormed the base in large numbers, killing no fewer than 18 soldiers, while setting military vehicles and buildings ablaze before withdrawing from the area.
Another intelligence source said several personnel were killed during the હુમલાત, though exact casualty figures remain unclear.
The latest incident marks the second killing of a senior military officer within five months, following the death of Brigadier General Musa Uba, who was reportedly killed by fighters linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in November.
Nigeria has battled a protracted insurgency in its northeast since 2009, when Boko Haram launched an uprising that has since splintered into multiple armed factions, including ISWAP.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian Army nor the Defence Headquarters had issued an official statement on the latest attack.
