Armed men believed to be members of Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, have launched an attack on a military facility in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, leaving at least three soldiers dead and four others injured, including a local vigilante.
Sources said the attackers made away with eight operational motorcycles and a gun truck during the raid on the base.
“The terrorists came directly to the military camp and opened fire on soldiers,” a forest guard [name withheld for security reasons] who fights alongside military operatives said. “They killed three soldiers and injured four (three soldiers and a local vigilante).”
Another source, identified as a vigilante member in the community, disclosed that several of the assailants were neutralised by troops during the exchange of gunfire, according to PREMIUM TIMES.
Although multiple armed groups are known to operate within the area, intelligence sources linked the incident to Ansaru fighters, who have previously clashed with security forces in the locality.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the military nor the police authorities in Kwara State had issued an official response. Attempts to reach the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, and the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.
Locally referred to as Mamuda, the group has been responsible for a series of violent attacks since establishing a presence in the Kainji National Park around 2020.
Reports indicate that the group has sustained its operations through kidnapping for ransom and environmentally harmful activities such as illegal logging, grazing, and farming within the protected Kainji forest reserve.
In August 2025, authorities announced the arrest of two key Ansaru figures—Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, alias Mallam Mamuda—who were subsequently charged in court over terrorism-related offences. Their trial is ongoing.
Despite these arrests, lower-ranking members of the group have continued their operations. Intelligence sources revealed that they have formed alliances with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a jihadist network active across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Benin Republic.
With backing from JNIM, the group has reportedly carried out attacks on several communities, including Nuku, Duruma, Karonji, and Kemanji, among others.
While Ansaru and its allies are largely active in parts of Kwara State near the Benin Republic border, other factions such as the Sadiku-led Boko Haram group and Lakurawa militants have established a presence in parts of Niger State, particularly in communities bordering Benin Republic and Kebbi State.
