A Brigadier General has been killed following a deadly terrorist assault on a military base in Borno State, marking the second loss of a senior Nigerian Army officer in five months amid worsening insecurity in the country’s northeast.
The officer, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, died during an overnight attack on a military formation in Benisheikh, located about 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Kaga Local Government Chairman, Zannah Lawan Ajimi, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, describing the attack as devastating.
“Unfortunately, the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, lost his life,” Ajimi said.
Security sources disclosed that the attackers, suspected to be terrorists, overran the base, killing at least 18 soldiers and setting military vehicles and facilities ablaze before retreating.
“They overran the brigade,” one intelligence source said, adding that casualties could be higher than initially reported.
Another source confirmed that several troops were killed, while buildings and operational equipment were destroyed during the raid.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters have yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The latest attack underscores a troubling escalation in violence across Nigeria, particularly in the northeast where the military has battled insurgent groups for over a decade. The conflict, which began in 2009 with the Boko Haram uprising, has since evolved with the emergence of splinter factions such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The killing of Brigadier General Braimah comes months after Brigadier General Musa Uba was killed in November, in what was then described as the highest-ranking military casualty in the conflict since 2021.
Security analysts have raised concerns over a renewed surge in terrorist activities since 2025, with incidents increasingly spreading beyond the northeast.
Maiduguri, once relatively stabilised, has recorded two suicide bombings since December, signaling a possible return to the intense urban attacks that characterised the peak of the insurgency.
The deteriorating security situation has also drawn international attention. On Wednesday, the United States authorised the departure of non-emergency government personnel from Abuja, citing heightened security risks.
Beyond the northeast, violence has intensified in Nigeria’s northwest, where armed groups have carried out deadly raids on rural communities. Recent attacks across several villages reportedly left at least 90 people dead.
In Kebbi State, authorities blamed a local extremist group linked to Al-Qaeda for one of the assaults, highlighting the growing influence of transnational terrorist networks within Nigeria’s borders.
Security monitoring organisations have warned that militant groups affiliated with both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are expanding operations in the region, raising fears of a broader regional security crisis.
The latest developments reinforce concerns that Nigeria’s long-running insurgency is entering a more dangerous phase, with increasing casualties, expanded geographical spread, and continued threats to both military and civilian populations.
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