…..HURIWA calls for emergency declaration in Borno state
Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has carpeted the military’s handling of information on the casualties from the attacks on its facilities by ISWAP and Boko haram terrorists just as the Rights group said the military is spreading misinformation to Nigerians in an attempt to present a rosy picture of successes by the Nigerian Army when in reality the terrorists are in resurgence and have killed many top ranking soldiers amongst several dozens of junior ranks, women and children.
HURIWA said the terrorists are committing horrendous crimes against humanity and therefore the Defence Headquarters spokesman who recently said the terrorists should be rehabilitated and reintegrated is guilty of indiscretion and should be administratively sanctioned. HURIWA opposes any talk of rehabilitation for terrorists who have blood in their hands just as the Rights group insisted that terrorists should be killed for their crimes against humanity.
The Rights group quoting credible eye witnesses’ account captured by highly credible media outfits reporting from the North-East of Nigeria has reported that the Nigerian military has lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operations bases following attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at different locations within a seven-day period in Borno State. HURIWA lamented that even the remains of Brigadier General Uba who was reportedly captured and executed by ISWAP are yet to be recovered by the Nigerian Army. ‘Any nation’s Army that is not only losing junior soldiers but allowing terrorists to kill their top ranking military officers is a military in decline. We must be Frank and tell ourselves the truth. The federal government must take steps to arrest the decline of the military and equp, motivate soldiers to confront and defeat terrorists.
According to the credible accounts by the media, the latest casualties bring to seven the number of commanding officers and one brigadier general reportedly killed within the last three months.
Local and security observers say the recent attacks highlight the persistent threat posed by insurgents in Borno despite ongoing military operations aimed at degrading their capabilities.
HURIWA is therefore miffed that the military’s hierarchy could authorise the dissemination of fake news to misinform Nigerians and get Nigerians to believe that the casualty figures were not as bad as is being reported even when the same military admitted that about 40 Soldiers In Borno were killed and Confirmed Murder Of just a Commanding Officer. “HURIWA is of the opinion that Nigeria is the only nation globally who trained military are being slaughtered in huge numbers by Islamic terrorists. This is an inexcusable dereliction of duty by the military chiefs in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Media Information Officer of the Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the army said the report presented a distorted account of the incident and failed to acknowledge the efforts of troops who defended communities against coordinated terrorist assaults.
According to the statement, the attacks were carried out by remnants of Boko Haram who had earlier been dislodged from Sambisa Forest during sustained military operations.
“The attacks on multiple communities occurred when remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, who had earlier been dislodged from the Sambisa Forest during sustained offensive operations by troops, regrouped and launched coordinated night attacks from multiple directions,” the statement said.
The army said the attacks targeted communities and troop locations around Konduga, Ngoshe, Mainok, and Jakana.
“The troops on the ground responded swiftly and fought gallantly to repel the terrorists and defend the affected communities,” the statement added.
It noted that several terrorists were neutralised during the engagements, but confirmed that a commanding officer and some soldiers were killed while confronting the attackers.
HURIWA however asked the military to always inform Nigerians of the accurate accounts of the casualties rather than try to deceive us to believe that all is well with the military just as the Rights group lamented that all is not well with the counterterrorism war even as the Rights group advised military hierarchy to adopt more efficient and effective approaches to decimate, degrade and destroy the terrorists. President Bola Tinubu must abolish the unconstitutional practice of rehabilitation and reintegration of the killer terrorists.
HURIWA in a media statement asserted that the media report is correct to assert that in recent months, the military has intensified operations in high-risk locations, including the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains and the Lake Chad Basin.
Military statements indicate that scores of insurgent commanders and fighters are being killed during operations conducted across multiple fronts, with several major terrorist camps also destroyed.
According to media reports, the three commanding officers recently killed were Major U.I. Mairiga, who headed the Mayenti base; Lt-Col Umar Faruq, commander of the Kukawa base and the 101 Brigade; and Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, who served in Konduga.
HURIWA recalled that within the last three months, commanding officers stationed in Damasak, Kukawa and Bama have also reportedly been killed while defending their bases.
Findings showed that most of the deaths occurred during attacks on military bases or ambushes carried out by insurgents during clearance operations.
Latest attack
The most recent incident occurred on Monday, March 9, when insurgents overran a military camp in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno, killing the commanding officer, Lt-Col Umar Faruq, alongside several soldiers.
Local and security sources said the insurgents attacked the base around 12am.
“They stormed the town from multiple directions and launched an assault on the military camp. They dislodged the troops, set vehicles ablaze and carted away ammunition,” a security source said.
“I cannot confirm the number of casualties, but sadly we also lost the commanding officer,” the source added.
The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col Sani Uba, confirmed that a gallant officer was killed in the attack but did not disclose his identity.
Last month, insurgents had also attacked the military base but were repelled by troops under the command of the late Lt-Col Umar Faruq, with many terrorists reportedly killed.
His response during the earlier attack was widely commended by residents of the community and celebrated on social media.
In a video circulating online, the lawmaker representing Kukawa Local Government Area in the Borno State House of Assembly, Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, was seen celebrating the earlier victory with troops.
However, the lawmaker, who confirmed the latest attack, said calm had since been restored in other military formations in the area, although the military base was overrun.
Other attacks
On March 1, 2026, another commanding officer, Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga, was killed when Boko Haram terrorists attacked his base in Mayenti, Bama Local Government Area.
A security source said the officer resisted the attack fiercely but was eventually overwhelmed.
“The unit commander, Major U.I. Mairiga, gave the terrorists a tough fight but was eventually overpowered after some of his soldiers fled into the bush.
“He died a brave soldier. He killed many of them before being overpowered. When I arrived as reinforcement, we recovered RPGs, anti-aircraft weapons and saw many corpses of Boko Haram fighters,” the source said.
The source added that the officer had been deployed to the forward operations base less than four months earlier after receiving a special promotion.
The attack occurred weeks after several soldiers were killed during another assault on a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area, where terrorists reportedly burned armoured vehicles and carted away large quantities of ammunition.
On March 6, the Commanding Officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga, Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, was also killed along with several soldiers during another attack by Boko Haram insurgents.
Other personnel attached to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade were reportedly killed during the ambush, including a lieutenant.
Earlier, on January 28, Boko Haram fighters attacked a military formation in Damasak, killing seven soldiers, including the commanding officer, during an ambush near the town.
The terrorists reportedly ambushed a patrol team, capturing the officer before executing him alongside other personnel.
On October 20, 2025, the Nigerian Army confirmed the death of Aliyu Saidu Paiko, commanding officer of the 202 Battalion, and other soldiers during an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists in Bama Local Government Area.
Army spokeswoman Appolonia Anele said troops attached to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai had earlier resisted terrorists during an attack on October 17 in Kashimri, Bama Local Government Area.
Last Wednesday, fourteen soldiers were reportedly killed during a coordinated attack on a military base in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area. A senior military officer was also killed, while more than 100 people were abducted.
Reacting against the backdrop of the resurgence of attacks targeting both soft and hard targets, HURIWA is calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency for 6 months in Borno State to enable the military to focus more on destroying the terrorists and restoring stability and peace in Borno State .
“For a fact the war on terror in Nigeria has almost been lost. There is the ever urgent need for the federal government to more practically work out quick win solutions to these expanding frontiers of warfare brought upon Nigeria by ISWAP and Boko haram terrorists including the possibility of issuing arms licences to law abiding adult Nigerians(both male and women) to bear sophisticated weapons such as AK-47 and AK-49 riffle.
*COMRADE EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO,
NATIONAL COORDINATOR,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). TUESDAY MARCH 10TJ 2026.
