Scores of terrorists, soldiers feared dead as Boko Haram overruns military base in Kukawa

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

MAIDUGURI — Scores of Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents, a commanding officer and several soldiers were reportedly killed when terrorists overran a military base in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Sources said the insurgents attacked the base at about 12:30 a.m. on Monday, storming the town from multiple directions before launching an assault on the military facility. Kukawa is located on the shores of the Lake Chad Basin.

A local source said the attackers dislodged troops from the camp, set military vehicles ablaze and carted away ammunition during the raid.

Security sources claimed that the Commanding Officer of the base, Lt. Col. Umar Farouq, and some soldiers were killed during the attack.

“I cannot say much about the casualties, but it is very sad that we also lost the commanding officer here,” one of the sources said.

The latest assault comes weeks after insurgents attempted to attack the same military base but were repelled by troops, with several terrorists reportedly killed in the encounter. The earlier victory drew praise from residents and was widely celebrated on social media.

In a video that circulated online at the time, the lawmaker representing Kukawa LGA in the Borno State House of Assembly, Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, was seen celebrating the success with soldiers stationed in the area.

Lawan, who confirmed the latest attack, said calm had been restored in other military formations around the area, although the Kukawa base was overrun.

There has been no official statement from the military on the incident as of press time.

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