Suspected Boko Haram insurgents launched a deadly attack on Izge village in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State in the early hours of Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least two soldiers—a Captain and a Corporal.
The assault, which began around 1:00 am, targeted the military formation in the village. A security source confirmed that while the Nigerian troops suffered casualties, many of the insurgents were also killed during the confrontation.
Executive Chairman of Gwoza LGA, Hon. Abba Kawu Idrissa Timta, confirmed the incident but said the full casualty figures were yet to be made available. “But scores of the terrorists were killed during the clash,” he noted.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the village on motorcycles after firing a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the military base. Initially overwhelmed, the soldiers received reinforcements from local hunters and vigilante groups who joined the fight and eventually repelled the insurgents.
“It was a fierce battle,” one resident said. “The troops of Operation Hadin Kai were resilient. Many terrorists were neutralized, and some fled, abandoning their motorcycles.”
Efforts to pursue the fleeing insurgents into the Sambisa Forest were reportedly underway, with troops, hunters, and community members in pursuit.
Reacting to the attack, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) renewed his call for the federal government to adopt modern surveillance technology to enhance security operations and combat terrorism more effectively.
Attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. The latest attack comes just two weeks after similar assaults on military formations in Wajirko and Wulgo, also in Borno State.
