By Suleiman Umaru
More facts have emerged why the Islamic Fundamentalists Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP have expanded their operations in recent months in Borno state, Nigeria, another member of the Sahel region.
The local insurgent groups could achieve the feat because they have worked closely with the other member countries of the Sahel region like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and the Central African country of Cameroun still under the siege of the terrorists.
Other member countries of the Sahel region include Gambia, Senegal, Chad and Muritania, a neighbouring country to the North African of Libya, which currently exports terrorists’ activities to member countries of the Sahel region.
Security experts had confirmed that the Islamic State Group of Iraq, which is an affiliate of the Sahel region and Jam’at Nusrat Islam wal Muslimeen, JNIM, believed to be a branch of al-Qaeda in Mali, are really making rapid expansion of militant Jihadist groups in the Sahel region in the recent time which had spilled over to Nigeria.
International security reports show that between 2020 and now, there have been six successful new terrorist groups in the Sahel region, which include the Mahmouda group. There are indications four of the terrorists’ groups are in Burkina Faso and Mali, which have two each, and one each in Guinea and Niger, a neighbouring country to Nigeria.
The trio of Capt. Ibrahim Traore, interim President of Burkina Faso, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, the Nigerien Head of State and Gen. Assimi Goita, of Mali, were said to have overthrown the constituted authorities in their respective countries with a promise ‘’ to combat the activities of the insurgents but that was how far they could go.
The military Heads of State of these three Sahel countries who had dragged their countries out from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, bloc, had formed an Alliance des Etas due Sahel, ES, which is an alliance of the Sahel States.
The three Sahel countries which had moved away from close working relationship with their West stern allies such as France and the North American country of the United States, US, towards Russia, Turkey, and the Asian country of China for support in tackling the militants appears to have given room to the foreign militants to take advantage of Nigeria’s porous borders to flood the country’s forests and increased their attacks in the north central states of Kwara, Benue , Plateau and indeed Borno state, in north eastern Nigeria.
It would be recalled that in early April, 2025, an aggrieved Babagana Zulum, a professor and governor of Borno, who is not happy over what is happening in his home state, Borno, as it has continued to lose grounds to BokoHaram and ISWAP, militants despite the strong military presence in the state, had cried out.
The military presence in the state includes the 21 Special Armoured Brigade and 199 Special Forces Battalion, which had been deployed to the state for operations to complement the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, had warned that ‘’the militants are making a gradual come back after its fighters staged a series of attacks and seized some parts of the north eastern state’’.
Nextier, a research firm, had confirmed that coordinated attacks by the local insurgents’ groups working closingly with the Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Cameroonian terrorists have resulted in the seizure of three local government areas in the state, effectively challenging state authority and stifling vital humanitarian efforts forcing Prof. Zulum, the Borno state governor to cry out for Federal action.
. The aggrieved Borno state governor who had repeatedly cried out that the insurgents who are working closely with other terrorist’s groups from the Sahel region have targeted the villages and military outposts, particular, in areas like Sabo Gari, wajiroko and Wulgo, Damboa, Baga and Munguno among others.
He had that’’ urgent and decisive action needed to be taken to flush them hoodlums from Nigeria shores. Appealing to the soldiers not only ‘’to mount check points and guard in the major towns in the state but to take the battle to the enemy’s camp’’.
Prof. Zulum, appears to have known that there is danger ahead in the state when information filtered out that the BokoHaram militants had killed 14 farmers, while making their way to the fields to plant their cropsand two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, at different locations within Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
The CTJTF, members were said to have been killed by the militants in an ambush at Sabo-Gari, a neighbouring Community to Kirawa, whilst returning from a routine patrol with their operational vehicle on Friday, April, 25, 2025. The farmers were said to have been killed on Saturday, April 26, 2025
Mohammed Timta, the Emir of Gwoza, had said that the attack on the farmers had occurred in a community located directly under the Mandara Mountains between Pulka and Ngoshe, described as a base of the militants.
There is no gain saying the fact that between 2015 and now, Borno state, had remained a hot bed of terrorists’ activities in the north eastern geopolitical region that appears to have defiled military operations.
The return of the BokoHaram and ISWAP terrorists in full force to Borno state barely five months that Olufemi Oluyede, a Lt. Gen. and Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, had visited Maiduguri, the Borno state Capital, ‘’to assess the security situation and engage with the troops on the frontlines of the counter -insurgency operation appears worrisome.
The CoAS, may have embarked on a visit to the Operation HADIN KAI Theatre Command, in Maiduguri ‘’ to encourage and boost their morale in the fight against insurgency to forestall a repeat of the incident in Nov. 25, where three communities in Mobar and Munguno, in Kukawa Local Government Areas of the north eastern state had witnessed major attacks.
The Army Chief had promised to stabilize the state and other parts of the nor eastern geopolitical region under the siege of the terrorists during his administration but the reverse appears to have become the case as the terrorists had expanded their operations, forcing residents to flee their homes.
An informed source told the Magazine online that BokoHaram insurgents are sweeping across the entire Borno state and other border regions to the north eastern state, which security experts had said poses a threat to national security and regional stability.
Worried at the turn of events in Borno state may have informed why the Borno state governor had urged ‘’the fighting troops not to give a breather to the BokoHaram, ISWAP insurgents and their foreign terrorists’ collaborators’’ to regroup and, rearm in the forest let alone carry out attacks in the state’’.
The Nigeria President may have listened to the cry of the Borno state governor for help that he was said to have ordered a ‘’security outreach to the hotbeds of recent at attacks in Benue, Plateau and Borno to restore peace to areas wracked bomb attacks that resulted in mass killings.
Nuhu Rbadu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, who incidentally was a former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and now National Security Adviser, NSA, had said that the foursome of Mohammed Mohammed, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Undianeye, Chief Defence Intelligence, CDI, of the Nigerian Army, Oluwatosin Ajayi, Director General , Department of State Services, DSS, and Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President had appeared before the President for the briefing.
The President was said to have also met with the service chiefs who were said to have receive fresh instructions‘’to restore peace, security and stability across the country. He has his reason for meeting both the intelligence and service chiefs to avoid turning Nigeria to another Burkina Faso or Mali, where the terrorists are occupying substantial parts of these two West African countries and still pushing to take over these countries with foreign support.
The Nigerian President tough stance in stabilizing the country may have encouraged Kayode Egbetokun’s men to foil an attempted abduction by suspected bandits along the Funtuua -GUSAU highway of 10 kidnapped victims. The Faskari Division of the Katsina state Police Command were said to have engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel, forcing the criminals to flee with bullet wounds into the bush using the victims as cover.
Ia related development, the Tara state Intelligence Department which had declared one Umar Ahmad, wanted and had been in search of him for several months in the state including sending out his pictures to other security agencies across the country to help track him heaved a sign of relief on April 18, 2025, when he was arrested in the state Intelligence Department personnel in collaboration with Local Vigilante. Bad news for the Kidnappers.
