Rita Odafe
Captain Kamal has been identified as a senior military officer who lost his life due to an attack by Boko Haram militants in the Izge community within Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, as reported by SaharaReporters.
During an incident early Wednesday morning, the Emir of Gwoza, Mohammed Shehu Timta, shared details of how the attack unfolded. He recounted that around 1 am, the militants invaded the farming community, firing indiscriminately until Nigerian troops, supported by local hunters and members of the civilian Joint Task Force, managed to drive them back.
In addition to Captain Kamal, another soldier was killed during the confrontation.
The Emir indicated that security forces succeeded in eliminating three of the attackers and seized multiple motorcycles, bicycles, an operational vehicle, and a high-caliber rifle from them.
Terrorist activities have severely impacted various regions in Nigeria for years.
A report by SBM Intelligence reveals that over 2,000 individuals were killed in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2025, spanning from January to March.
Among those fatalities were 136 members of the security forces. Borno State experienced the largest number of casualties, reporting 515 deaths, followed by Zamfara with 408, and other states like Katsina (155), Benue (101), and others.
The detailed statistics show that 892 civilians, along with 462 bandits, 119 vigilantes, 234 Boko Haram members, 42 kidnappers, and 66 cultists, lost their lives.
Previously, Babagana Zulum, the Governor of Borno State, expressed concern regarding the escalating insecurity within the state. He emphasized the need for the Nigerian Army to adopt not only military strategies but also non-military approaches, which he deemed crucial.
“Borno State has welcomed over 300,000 former Boko Haram militants in the last three years, and not all of them are combatants. Some are farmers,” he remarked.
For over ten years, Nigeria has been engulfed in a violent struggle against insurgent factions primarily active in the North East region, with Boko Haram being the most notable. This group, emerging in the early 2000s, intensified its violent activities around 2009, launching a campaign characterized by bombings, mass abductions, and attacks on both civilians and military personnel.
Despite assertions from former President Muhammadu Buhari about their “technical defeat,” insurgent violence has persisted, with severe consequences.
The conflict has taken tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, leading to one of the most critical humanitarian crises globally. Numerous communities have been destroyed, forcing survivors into overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps with restricted access to food, healthcare, and safety.
Over time, offshoots of Boko Haram, including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have emerged, complicating counterinsurgency endeavors and extending the cycle of violence.
Despite regional and international collaboration, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), the threat remains a significant challenge to Nigeria’s national cohesion and human security.
