In Nigeria, Waidi Shaibu inspects the front after the Mairari attack

The head of the Nigerian army has called on troops deployed in the Northeast to maintain pressure against Boko Haram and ISWAP. The visit comes after an attack whose toll remains disputed.

The Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on Saturday, October 17, called on the troops deployed in Maiduguri to maintain their offensive against Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa. This assessment visit to Borno State comes a few days after an attack on a military base in Mairari.

Waidi Shaibu addressed the officers and soldiers of the Northeast joint force at the 212th tank battalion quarters. According to a statement from the army conveyed by its interim spokesperson, Colonel Appolonia Anele, he urged the military personnel to remain disciplined, vigilant, and ready for combat.

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The Chief of the Army then received a briefing from the commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Ibikunle Ajose, and sector officials. He also met with wounded soldiers and promised to continue efforts on equipment, housing, medical care, and unit rotation.

The attack on Mairari took place during the night from Tuesday, October 13 to Wednesday, October 14 in the Guzamala area, near Lake Chad. Fighters suspected of belonging to ISWAP stormed the position, looted equipment, and set fire to facilities, according to residents and military sources cited by several Nigerian and international media outlets.

The human toll is not uniformly established. Sources gathered by AFP and Premium Times report 15 soldiers and five members of a local militia killed. Reuters, for its part, reports at least ten military personnel dead and more than twenty injured, as well as six victims among civilians and security auxiliaries.

The Nigerian army had not released a detailed report on the assault at the time of the latest available information. The chairman of the Guzamala local council, Umar Sheriff, confirmed the attack to the Nigerian press, while specifying that he did not have verified figures on the casualties.

Mairari is located in a region where Boko Haram and its ISWAP dissident branch regularly attack security forces. A week earlier, ISWAP had targeted another military position in Kukawa. The army announced that it had repelled the attackers with air support, without releasing a full report on its own losses.