Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly overrun a Nigerian Army base in Borno State, leaving an unconfirmed number of soldiers dead and several others missing.
According to security sources, the terrorists attacked the base of the 152 Task Force Battalion in Banki town, Bama Local Government Area, around midnight on Thursday. The troops stationed at the facility were dislodged after hours of heavy gunfire.
During the assault, the insurgents allegedly set ablaze armoured tanks and military vehicles before carting away a significant cache of weapons and ammunition. Survivors from the battalion are said to have fled across the border into Cameroon.
“152 TF Battalion close to Banki town under Bama LGA was dislodged by Boko Haram terrorists. They took control of the base for several hours, seizing equipment and ammunition. Casualties are still being counted,” a source confirmed.
Another military source added that dozens of vehicles were destroyed in the attack, with many soldiers still unaccounted for.
The battalion is a key unit under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), the counter-insurgency operation in Nigeria’s North-East.
Nigeria has been grappling with Boko Haram’s insurgency for nearly two decades, with the conflict claiming over 100,000 lives and displacing millions in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. Despite repeated assurances by military authorities that the group has been degraded, Boko Haram continues to carry out devastating attacks.
Troops have in the past raised concerns about inadequate weapons, accusing their commanders of exposing them to better-armed insurgents.
