4 Army officers killed as Boko Haram terrorists attack three military bases in Borno

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 - Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have launched coordinated attacks on three military bases in Rann, Gajiram and Dikwa in Borno State, k!lling at least four soldiers.

Security and local sources confirmed that all the attacks happened in the early hours of Tuesday, May 13, 2025, stating that the insurgents lost many fighters in Dikwa and Gajiram, where the military repelled their attacks.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the terrorists attacked the military base in Marte that left an unspecified number of soldiers k!lled, and many still missing.

According to security sources, the attack on the military formation in Rann left four soldiers d3ad and six others injured.

“We lost four soldiers while four sustained gunshot wounds. They also set ablaze MRAP, a gun truck and a Russian-made T-72,” one of the sources said.

A resident of the town told Daily Trust that terrorists invaded the military location around 12:00 a.m. and engaged the troops for hours before they overran the base.

“The military retreated. They looted weapons, including gun trucks, before leaving the base," he said.

“We saw the corpses of four soldiers and other injured soldiers. I’m not sure of their number."

He said the terrorists retreated when a fighter jet arrived at the military location.

Rann is a remote town in Kala-Balge Local Government Area in the far northeastern part of Borno State. It lies approximately 175 to 200 kilometres east of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The journey is arduous due to the poor condition of the roads and insecurity in the region.

While the road is largely unpaved, deeply rutted, and often impassable during the rainy season, armed escorts are usually required due to the persistent threat from insurgent groups. The poor infrastructure has historically hindered both humanitarian access and military operations.

Similarly, the terrorists, who attacked Gajiram, the headquarters of Nganzai LGA, were forced to retreat after more than an hour of gun battle with the troops.

“The terrorists recorded heavy casualties and were forced to retreat during simultaneous attacks they coordinated in Rann, Gajiram and Dikwa."

“The ISWAP attack on Gajiram is an indication that their target is to take over Monguno. They may be trying to isolate the town before launching a major attack.

“We are calling on the air force to be on high alert,” a soldier said.

The Army Public Relations Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Reuben Kovangiya, confirmed the attacks in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

"Yesterday alone, there were attacks in Rann, Dikwa and Gajiram. All these attacks were defeated apart from Rann where they succeeded in penetrating to an extent, leading to the loss of 4 personnel," he said.

“However, let me reassure you that the overall resolve of the Nigerian military is that we will completely defeat this terrorism and restore peace to the region once and for all, in the shortest possible time. We just need the support of the nation."

“The terrorists have been degraded. There is little doubt that normalcy has greatly returned to the Northeast region, compared to where it was five to ten years ago. In war, you have several campaigns which are series of coordinated operations aimed at achieving strategic objectives.

“So you will win some and lose some. What is most important is the statistics of what you win against what you lose. In the last one week alone, over 20 terrorists have been neutralised and arms and ammunition recovered, even as we continue to conduct operations on multiple fronts as we speak. For now, most citizens have returned to their communities and socio- economic activities have returned.

“Malam Fatori and Kukawa are recent success stories where almost 20,000 IDPs have returned to their ancestral homes. However, what is happening in Nigeria is not unconnected to the situation in the greater Sahel region where barracks in neighbouring countries are being ransacked and weapons carted away. These weapons find their way down into Nigeria, due to our large and porous borders, thereby reenergising the fight,” he said.

Also, the Nigerian military repelled an attack on Dikwa on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the attack on Marte, which forced troops to leave the base to take refuge in Dikwa.

“Thank God many terrorists were k!lled when the Nigerian Air Force arrived and provided aerial support,” a soldier said.