•Security experts on why bandits, terrorists are in desperate fight-back against soldiers
As the nation’s highest authorities called for probe into the recent terrorist attack on a military base in Sabon Garri, Borno State, MUSA UMAR BOLOGI chronicles other attacks on the military and the casualties recorded, identifying the reasons for them and possible ways to avoid future occurrences.
On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu ordered a probe into the attack by terrorists on a military base at Sabon Gari village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The attack which occurred at dawn on Saturday, January 4, resulted in the loss of six soldiers. But the military was able to neutralise 34 terrorists and seize 23 AK-47 rifles and other ammunition.
The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, extended condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, describing their sacrifice as a cornerstone of the nation’s fight for security.
The President commended the military’s swift and decisive response, particularly the air component’s effective retaliatory strikes, which neutralised numerous terrorists and destroyed their assets as they attempted to flee.
In addition to the investigation, President Tinubu directed the military to proactively take the war to the camps of bandits and terrorists in the Northwest, where they have continued to threaten the lives and homes of innocent villagers. He called for collective efforts to eliminate terrorism threats in the country.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had in a statement on Tuesday explained that the terrorists had attempted to surprise the troops and retaliate for the recent killing of their commander and combatants in the state.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, who disclosed this did not give the number of those injured in the encounter, but said the soldiers were taken unaware when the terrorists struck.
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He added that the casualty figure would have been much but for the quick intervention of troops on a fighting patrol, which returned to base and deescalate the attack as soon as it commenced on the base.
This was in addition to the quick arrival of a troop reinforcement team comprising of the Civilian Joint Task Force, vigilantes, hybrid forces, and strikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets which overpowered the terrorists.
This is not the first time terror groups in the North would attack military bases in the North East and other insecurity-prone areas across the country. Neither was it the first time the country’s highest authorities would order an investigation into such incidents.
A cycle unkind
Terrorist attacks on military locations have been a recurring phenomenon since the military launched the war against Boko Haram insurgency in the North East more than a decade ago. The attacks often result in significant loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure and displacement of civilians, sparking severe humanitarian crisis.
The Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, with the group’s initial goal to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. But their objectives and tactics have evolved over time, with their primary target being the state and its security forces.
Boko Haram, Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) and other terror groups have adopted various tactics to counter military strategies, employing guerrilla warfare, ambushes and raids on military outposts, most times resulting in some casualties on both sides.
The attacks are always a sobering reminder of the ongoing security challenges facing the country. However, in the recent past, there have been remarkable reductions. Hence, the reason why the recent attack in Sabon Garri gained widespread attention and prompted swift action from the authorities.
A glimpse into the past
There have been several terrorist attacks on military bases since the Nigerian military began the war against terrorism and, lately, banditry in the North West of the country, which has resulted in heavy casualties. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) more than 350,000 people, including security agents, have been killed in the North East alone since the beginning of the Boko Haram insurgency. And if the conflict continues till 2030, more than 1.1 million people may die, the agency said in its report in 2021.
In the early years of the conflict, the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks on military bases were relatively low. However, as the war progressed, the group’s tactics and strategies evolved, and their attacks became more brazen and deadly.
According to data compiled by the Nigeria Security Tracker, 2012 was the first devastating year for the security agencies as no fewer than 92 security agents lost their lives to terror attacks in the city, highlighting the scaling violence and growing threats posed by the terrorists at that time.
As the year progressed, more security agents lost their lives to terror attacks. For instance, on December 2, 2013 over 200 Boko Haram fighters dressed as soldiers launched coordinated attacks on an air force base, a military barracks and a nearby checkpoint in Maiduguri. They burnt buildings and five aircraft, and killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
The attacks prompt a round-the-clock curfew in the city and the suspension of flights. The military authorities instituted probes into the incident, though the outcome was not made public.
In January 2017, the group conducted a midnight attack on Nigerian troops in the village of Kamuya, resulting in the death of three Nigerian soldiers. But the attack was just a tip of the iceberg as more casualties were recorded the following year.
On November 18, 2018, the group attacked an army base in Metele village in northeastern Borno State, killing more than 100 soldiers and destroying hundreds of military equipment. The attack sent shockwaves through the nation and attracted widespread condemnation from various quarters, including government officials, military leaders and civil society organisations.
The incident also prompted calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Earlier before the November 18 attack, the group captured a town in Borno State after sacking and occupying a military base. In December of that year, the group conducted a series of attacks, taking over the commercial town of Baga near the border with Chad as well as a nearby Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) base.
In May 2019, the group conducted an attack on a military base in the town of Gubio, north of Maiduguri, killing at least three Nigerian soldiers. On June 28, 2021, troops of 152 Task Force Battalion in conjunction with the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, killed 12 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province ISWAP fighters while they were trying to infiltrate the Forward Operating Base at Bula in Yobe State. They, however, lost two soldiers in the battle while five others sustained varying degrees of injury.
The terrorists, riding on gun trucks and several motorcycles, attacked the location via an unsuspected crossing point but were met with heavy fire from the troops. The ground troops engaged the terrorists, subsequently forcing them to retreat.
On November 20, 2024, reports said at least a dozen soldiers were killed in attacks by Boko Haram on Nigeria military base in the remote town of Kareto in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State. The terrorists were armed with improvised explosives and shot from different directions resulting in heavy casualty for the troops. The attacks came days after a raid by Boko Haram led to the deaths of some soldiers.
As the military intensified its efforts to curtail the activities of bandits in the North West, it began to face a familiar foe. The bandits, who had previously been engaged in criminal activities such as kidnapping and cattle rustling, started to employ terror-like tactics reminiscent of those used by Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).
For instance, on April 5, 2022, bandits attacked a military facility in Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, killing 10 soldiers and injuring an unconfirmed number of others. The gunmen, who came on motorcycles with heavy weapons including rocket-propelled grenades, engaged the soldiers at the base in a duel that lasted two hours.
Resurgence of attacks and way forward
Security experts agree that conducting an investigation into attacks on military locations is a right decision, as it would enable them to review their operations and identify lapses. To them, an attack on a military facility cannot be swept away as the actions of mere terrorists. This is because the ultimate goal of the terrorists is to capture territories. As such, the government has to recalibrate its counter-terrorism strategy in the insecurity-prone areas to factor this into existence. It also has to review the security of its military facilities in the regions with a view to strengthen it against future attacks.
A retired director with the Department of State Service (DSS), Barrister Mike Ejiofor, said the resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP on military bases in the North East is meant to show that they were still relevant, even after being dealt heavy blows by the security forces.
He explained: “You know when the heat is strong on these terrorists, they tend to retreat. But after some time, they still want to show their potency. So it is not unexpected that such attacks occasionally come in. Otherwise, we would have seemed to have won the war.
“So it is quite unfortunate that despite the successes made within that axis, we are still having some attacks like that. Don’t also forget the diversionary tactics of the Lakurawas that also emerged in the Northwest. It is also one of the challenges we are contending with.”
The security expert commended President Tinubu and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for demanding a probe into the incident. He, however, added that such an investigation should be made public, as it would enhance support from members of the public.
Ejiofor said: “I think it is only proper that the outcome will also be made public. There is nothing to hide. Lives have been lost. And the outcome will help in fostering future accuracy.
“I also want to call for support from the members of the public, because these people (terrorists) don’t operate in isolation. Some of them are well-known, but for some unexplainable reasons the citizens remain aloof, out of fear.
“We need to call for vigilance on the part of the security agencies and the citizenry. The troops also have to be vigilant to avoid a reoccurrence.”
However, a security expert, Chidin Omeje, said the reason for the resurgence of attacks on military bases may not be unconnected with snitches within the military and the local population, and the increased capacity of the terrorists to gather intelligence against the state security forces.
He said: “This kind of attacks happened more around 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 when insurgency was at its height.
“For us to witness this kind of very ugly attack on our troops, it goes to just tell you that there are snitches somewhere…there is someone who is snitching on the military, on our troops, troops movement, and troops position.
“They could be internal saboteurs or people around. Either way, they are unpatriotic. They are complicit, or are just doing it for the commercial purposes, the profit they are making.
“There is what we call the root cause analysis. If you do the root cause analysis of this kind of incident, what you definitely see or uncover is that people who are members of the armed forces could be part of the snitches.
“It could also be members of the communities. It could be anybody who actually reveals the troops’ position or troop movement or tells the adversary that this is the right time to strike.
“But sometimes the attacks occur not because there are snitches, sometimes it’s because the adversary has been doing their own reconnaissance, intelligence and then knowing when the troops are at their low and then they strike.”
Omeje, however, emphasised the strategy of the whole-of-society approach in the fight against terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country.
“People need to be part of the whole effort. When people are disenchanted, when people are very unpatriotic, when people have one or two reasons whatsoever to work against their own military, then you know that something fundamental is wrong,” he said.
On whether it is significant for the public to know the outcome of the investigation into the recent attacks, Omeje said that May not be necessary.
“I know there is the right to know, but I don’t think it is necessary. If the military who did the investigation found out what the issues are and the issues are something they can handle internally, they may not have to come out to tell the whole world or tell the people.
“This is because every other person reads, even the terrorists read the newspaper or listen to the news.
“So, there are some information that the authorities would rather keep to themselves and work at it to see if they can remedy the situation,” Omeje said.