A wake-up call to Zulum, military as Borno face waves of ISWAP attacks

…Take the war to terriorists enclaves- CSOs
….We must prioritize counter-drone tech, enhancing electronic warfare capabilities- Iroegbu

The wave of violence extremism has underscore the persistent threat posed by Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) and its arch-rival Boko Haram terrorists groups and their intent to destabilize peace-building efforts in Borno and Yobe States.

A loud sound was heard from neighborhood. It was followed by sporadic gunshots, shouting of “Allah Akbar” and burning down of houses and trucks loaded with all kinds items from the town outskirts suddenly hundreds of people were seeing running into the opposite direction around the town outskirts many residents seems not understand what was happening until few minutes later.

And a renewed attacks at Mafa town, an home town of Governor Babagana Zulum a some of 49 kilometers away Maiduguri was the caused of shooting, Business Day gathered.

Since last August this year, Boko-Haram terrorists has renewed attacks on communities and military installations causing death and massive destruction and recently where an Commanding officer along 10 others were brutally murdered in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.

Before then, Borno and Yobe has witnessed relative peace, many Nigerian including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu praising the military for restoring hope and peace into the otherwise restive northwest states.

Tinubu’s praises of military was based on that military has put Boko-Haram under control has the states witnessed minimal attacks especially between 2023-2024 however the security situation deteriorated early this years has terrorists carried attacks unhindered and becoming bolder in recent times.

For instance, since the month of September terrorists successfully invaded and dislodged military formations at Kirawa town in Gwoza local government respectively.

Also, Darajamal and Banki came under heavy attacks where more 60 people lost their lives. Fortunately, troops has repelled some attacks including Ngamdu military formations amongst.

However, it is becoming worrisome to the residents that what they are witnessing in this part of the country was longer an eclipse but the surge of coordinated of an evil campaign ISWAP fighters, hence there’s urgent need for Borno state government and armed forces to the right pegs in the right holes to nips the rising threat poses by the outlawed group.

But, while reacting to incidents Sani Uba,Lieutenant Colonel Media Information Officer
Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai said the Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) with renewed vigour successfully defeated terrorist attacks on multiple locations across the Joint Operations Area in the early hours of today, 23 October 2025.

According to him, Between midnight and 0400 hours, the terrorists launched coordinated assaults on troops’ positions in Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo, and Katarko, situated in Sector 1(Borno State) and Sector 2 (Yobe State) respectively. In all instances, troops stood firm, fought gallantly, and professionally repelled the attacks, dealing the terrorists a heavy decisive and bloody blow.

He noted, “The coordinated offensive response was supported by air platforms of the Air Component Command of OPHK. The precision strikes, coupled with enhanced battlefield awareness provided by Theatre Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets, gave troops additional leverage and impetus to respond with overwhelming and lethal force.

Sani revealed, “The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations. Troops also recovered 38 AK-47 rifles, 7 PKT machine guns, 5 RPG tubes, 2 GPMGs and hand grenades along with thousands of assorted belted and loose rounds of different calibres. Additionally, over 70 of the wounded miscreants are still being pursued by ground troops supported by the Air Component in close coordination.

According to him, intelligence further revealed the terrorists who attacked Dikwa and Gajibo manoeuvred from the Cameroon axis, while those that attacked Katarko emerged from the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist enclave.

Take the war to terriorists enclaves- CSOs

However, the Civil Society Organizations has described the situation very grave and worrisome, calling for immediate action to prevent further escalation and humanitarian disaster, urging the military not be waiting for the terrorists to strike before we respond rather take the war to their enclaves.

Bulama Abiso, the Executive Director Borno State Society of Civil Organisations made this appeal while condemning the forthright multiple attacks in Borno and Yobe states.

Bulama noted, “I think it is a very sad moment for us in Borno State. It is a dark day because these attacks are something that is very ugly, and we sympathize with the victims’ families.

He continued, “Another sad thing is that terrorists wanted to punish people with hunger by setting ablaze the trucks with foodstuffs, this is barbaric. Unfortunately, this is very huge lost to traders and businessmen. It is my hope that the federal government will assist those affected by this sad development.

He added, “My call is for our people not to allow the terrorists to take over this highway because that is what they wanted. Therefore, I am calling on the security agencies, and whom we have appreciated their efforts so far, but they need to tighten their belts . We are calling on security agencies to step up their games, and I think there is an urgent need to go back to drawing board and re-strategizing.

Abuso urges, “Lastly, I am calling on the military to take the war to their dens. It is not acceptable to always sit on defense and be waiting for our enemies to strike.”

Beyond Borders: A call for holistic regional strategy to address insecurity in Lake Chad – Zulum

Speaking, Governor Babagana Zulum, whose region sits at the epicenter of the protracted Boko Haram insurgency, has delivered a scathing critique of the international community’s approach to the escalating Sahel crisis, calling for a radical shift from “short-term humanitarian solutions” to sustained economic development and deeper regional political cooperation.

The Flawed Foundation of AidSpeaking at the 5th Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, Governor Zulum asserted that a purely military response has proven “insufficient” to quell instability, terrorism, and mass displacement across the Sahel.

He argued forcefully that lasting peace is unattainable without simultaneously addressing the deep-seated “root causes”—specifically, poverty, lack of education, and climate change-induced scarcity.

Zulum reserved his sharpest criticism for the prevailing model of international assistance, which he characterised as unsustainable.

He stressed that this cycle of emergency aid fails to tackle the fundamental issues that fuel recruitment by armed groups, underscoring the vital link:“The nexus between peace, development and security need not be overemphasised. If there is no development, there cannot be peace or security.”

The Borno Governor did not limit his demand for change to the development agenda; he also pushed for a more expansive, transnational security strategy. He criticized the current focus on a handful of nations, insisting that extremist groups operate with impunity across a much wider area.

“In the Sahel context, you cannot address the challenges by just looking at two or three countries,” Zulum contended, urging the forum to adopt the broader definition of the Sahel as outlined by the United Nations, which encompasses 10 countries, including Mauritania, Gambia, and Guinea.”Collaboration among the larger Sahel communities is paramount.”

Zulum’s address, delivered to a roundtable that included foreign ministers from Mali and Burkina Faso, solidified his stance that a comprehensive and multifaceted strategy is essential. This strategy, he concluded, must harmonize security operations, sustainable development projects, and humanitarian assistance rather than relying solely on “kinetic means.”

We must prioritize counter-drone tech, enhancing electronic warfare capabilities – Iroegbu

Consequently, experts believes the waves of attacks could be attributed to pressure against terrorists in the Sahelian Region, which have forced the terrorists to put pressure on Nigeria, especially in the Lake Chad Basin where the border is very porous and easy for infiltration.

And this call for political wills, modern technology, collaboration, timely intelligence sharing, and aggressive operations among the Lake Chad Basin countries to address these challenges.

While collaborating, Senator Iroegbu, a security expert, said there is an urgency for change of approach and strategy is highly imperative, not only to enable military safeguard and consolidate the significant success it has achieved, but also to check further advances by the terrorists who seem hell-bent on reconquering liberated territories.

He said, “I agree that the Nigerian military needs to re-strategize to address the evolving security challenges in the Lake Chad and Sahel regions. The recent intensification of ISWAP attacks highlights the need for urgent action.

Iroegbu warned that, “To effectively tackle terrorism, we must prioritize developing counter-drone technologies and enhancing electronic warfare capabilities. Strengthening air defence and missile defence systems is also vital.

He opined, “Intensifying intelligence operations and improving civil-military relations will be key to disrupting terrorist networks and winning local support. A comprehensive approach combining military might with socio-economic development and addressing root causes of insecurity will be crucial to achieving lasting peace ahead of 2027.”Iroegbu warned.

While calling in the government should also consider increasing collaboration with regional and international partners to leverage expertise and resources in combating terrorism.

Borno govt need urgent massive recruitment of locals to salvage situation- Kareto

Likewise, Abubakar Mohammed Kareto, public affairs analyst attributed the recent surge in numbers and frequency of attacks on both civilians and military formations in the North East, particularly in Borno and Yobe, by Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) fighters is indeed alarming and sends a very bad signal of the reemergence of the dark old days when ISWAP took control of towns and villages.

He frowned at the sudden resurgence of the insurgents was caused by the Nigerian security forces’ inability to capitalise on the past gains of the war. According to him they believed the war against Boko Haram was over and relaxed, which allowed Boko Haram the freedom to regroup, reorganise, and launched multiple attacks on Ngamudu, Nganzai, Mafa, Dikwa, Marte and other locations.

He pinpointed, “the wisest action at this time is to take a short-term, military strategy. Disturb them day and night, take the battle to them, and don’t let them breathe. Since this is the only language that terrorists often understand, the Nigerian military should launch huge air and ground attacks, including precision bombings using aircraft like the A-29 Super Tucano jets, to target terrorist strongholds and supply centres.

Abubakar added, “Indeed, the state government has been actively involved in helping the military defeat Boko Haram from the start of the conflict, but the Borno State Government should also concentrate on increasing the number of people joining the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).

“As community-led responders, CJTF can mobilise more quickly to counter attacks before government forces respond, which can sometimes take longer, especially in vulnerable areas with low formal security presence. These are primarily locals who have superior knowledge of the terrain and can assist the military in identifying insurgents hidden within communities. if it is done correctly and quickly, I believe they will be a game changer in fight against insurgency in Borno,”Kareto noted.

ISWAP planning attacks on military formations in Borno, Yobe – insider

Earlier, Business Day had also predicted that most recent attacks were carried out through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which resulted into severe casualties on officers and soldiers, carted away of arms and ammunition.

An insider sources charged that military formations must be on high alert, warning of impending attacks on strategic military formations between November and the month of December especially the drones attacks on the military formations in Borno and Yobe States respectively.

An insider source explained that some of the drones being deployed by the insurgents are similar to the ones deployed in countries like Israel and Ukraine which poses a grave threat to the counter-insurgency operations.

”This takes us back to the drone threat and air defence. Terrorists are using drones to collect vital intelligence on military formations and, based on the intelligence gathered. They therefore launch attacks with a 3 to 1 advantage. This represents a dangerous evolution in the insurgency.

“If the drone threat is not taken seriously, terrorists could conduct high-impact attacks with drones while minimising their casualties. They could transform military outposts and relatively secure civilian locations into precarious targets.”

The source urged the federal government to prioritised welfare of frontline troops to ensure there is mechanisms put in place to checkmate diversions of funds meant for the frontline troops.

The source added that the residents in BAY states should remain alert and vigilant, share information anytime need be, that will improve response and put the insurgents in pressure to prevent spread of their deadly evil campaign.