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THE report below was carried out by the International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR) for the attention of the Federal Government to look into the lapses in the North East where our soldiers are being wasted due no fault of theirs.
Report By The International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR) For The Records:
IN a renewed orgy of terror, Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents have, within the last couple of months, intensified coordinated assaults on communities across the North-East States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, targeting mostly military formations.
The terrorists, armed with sophisticated weaponry, have killed scores of soldiers, and either carted away or destroyed equipment, drawing national attention.
In exclusive encounters with The ICIR, two ex-commanders of the dreaded group gave insights into why repentant members are sliding back into the trenches and launching coordinated assault on communities in the region.
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Harvest of attacks
THE rat-a-tat-tat burst of awful sounds, like those of submachine guns spitting pellets of death, rattled the vicinity of the Forward Operation Base of the 153 Battalion in Marte LGA of Borno State with deafening intensity. It was in the wee hours of Monday, May 12, 2025 and the dusty community had been eerily quiet. As the military base slumbered, the silence was shattered by the sound of intense gunfire and explosions.
Members of the Boko Haram splinter group – the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP), armed to the teeth, had stormed the base, catching the soldiers off guard.
The attackers, numbering dozens, targeted key installations, including armoury, reportedly killing seven soldiers and seizing three-gun trucks. They were also said to have set fire to military equipment, vehicles and buildings, engulfing the base in flames. The armoury was reportedly looted with weapons and ammunition carted.
Although the embattled soldiers quickly regrouped and fought back, engaging the terrorists in a fierce battle, they were vastly outnumbered, and the attackers’ superior firepower took its toll.
By dawn, the attack was over, and the base lay in ruins. The soldiers who had survived were, shell-shocked and grief-stricken.
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The attack on the Marte military base was a stark reminder of the threat posed by renewed wave of terror by insurgents in the North-East, despite the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers who fight to defeat them against overwhelming odds.
Ex-Boko Haram commanders speak on renewed attacks
Multiple sources, including ex-commanders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, who are among the over 30,000 that reportedly renounced the sect following overtures by government, have revealed to The ICIR why many of the ‘surrenderers’ were going back to the trenches to launch renewed attacks in the troubled region.
The commanders are among the over 400 members of the sect from Borno State who were profiled and engaged by the military to support its counter insurgency operations in the region, following their defection from the terror sect.
After being profiled, they were engaged as hybrid by the military to aid their counter insurgency operations due to their knowledge and understanding of the terrain. Hybrids are surrendered members of the insurgency group who are co-opted by the military to assist in the counter insurgency efforts.
One of the group’s ex-top commanders revealed to The ICIR that many of the surrendered commanders have gone back to the trenches because the Nigerian government has failed to keep to promises made when they surrendered. He listed the promises to include, houses and skills acquisition training.
The ex-commander (names withheld for security reason), who was among the lieutenants of Abubakar Shekau, the late leader of the group, said,
“When the Nigerian government came up with the option of surrendering, some of us decided to embrace it so as to assist and reintegrate with our families.
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“We felt it was better for us to lay down our arms rather than continue to stay in the bush and spill innocent blood. That was why we heeded the call of government and our family members to surrender.
“We abandoned our belongings and property; including livestock, in Sambisa Forest and were deployed to the theatre formations in the North-East to aid in their operations.”
The commander, who defected three years ago, disclosed that apart from belonging to the hybrid, he has personally participated in persuading other members who also left Sambisa to surrender.
He said even though he has resisted the temptation to go back to Sambisa, “One of my wives has run back to the forest due to hardship.”
He added, “We submitted ourselves with the willingness to assist the government in ending the insurgency. Due to our constant appeals, many others left Sambisa and surrendered.
“Unfortunately, many commanders were forced to return to Sambisa due to hardship and lack of assistance from the government.
“They were plunged into deep hardship which is why they returned and are currently carrying out attacks,” he said, adding that life in Sambisa was far better than what the repentant terrorists were experiencing outside.
“Aside terrorist attacks, we were farming and getting enough to fend for ourselves and families. We had livestock and engaged in businesses that took many of us to several countries, including Dubai,” he said, adding that all that had changed.
Although he did not specify the kind of businesses that took them to Dubai, The ICIR reports that in 2019 six Nigerians were convicted by an Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over alleged funding of Boko Haram. Dubai is in the UAE. The families of the convicts had alleged “frame up” claiming they had been doing legitimate bureau de change business in the UAE before their arrest.
Another ex-commander of the group from the ISWAP faction who is also assisting the military in the North-East said he regretted leaving his ‘comfort zone’ in the Sambisa Forest.
The ex-commander, who also sought identity protection for security reasons, said,
“Each of us were given only N100,000 cash upon surrendering by the government and promised a house and skill acquisition training, among others.
“But none of these promises has been fulfilled, leaving us in untold hardship which has led to many of the surrenderers returning to Sambisa,” he said.
The commander who disclosed that he took part in the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, warned that if the right measures were not taken by government, many more surrendered Boko Haram members who are currently assisting the military would be compelled to go back to Sambisa Forest.
The ICIR
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