Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly attack on the Forward Operating Base in Sabon Gari, Damboa Local Government Area, Borno State, killing soldiers and vigilantes while looting military weapons.
The attack, carried out on Saturday around 4 p.m., left the base in ruins. Security sources confirmed the incident, describing it as one of the most devastating assaults on the facility.
Over 12 bodies have been recovered so far. According to sources, the insurgents overwhelmed the military despite a fierce defence. “The base has faced more than 100 attacks, but this one was catastrophic. All weapons were taken, and operational vehicles and buildings were destroyed,” a source said.
The attack began with a drone, initially mistaken for military surveillance, before the insurgents moved in for the assault. The terrorists reportedly coordinated the attack from Mandara Gau in Biu Local Government Area, about 25 kilometres away, using a mango plantation as a base.
Between Chibok and Damboa, Boko Haram has increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance. On December 24, an earlier attack injured six soldiers.
Defence Headquarters spokesman, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, described the attack as harassment, dismissing the drones used as “toys” during a media briefing in Abuja.
Many of the insurgents involved are believed to be those displaced by military operations in Lake Chad. Months earlier, joint operations by Chadian troops forced many Boko Haram fighters to flee. Some regrouped with loyalists of the late Abubakar Shekau in Borno, escalating attacks in the region.
The Boko Haram conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across Nigeria and neighbouring countries over the past decade.