Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah.
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – The senior army officer and multiple troops died early Thursday when militants tried to storm a military camp in northeastern Nigeria.
According to Army spokesman Michael Onojahe the assault happened in Benisheikh, a town in Borno State, . He said forces pushed back the attackers.
Onoja labeled the assailants “terrorists” – the military’s usual reference for Islamic extremist groups operating in the region.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed that a brigadier general was among the dead. He identified the officer as Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah.
“The insurgents’ counterattack shows they are desperate,” Tinubu said in a statement. He offered sympathy to the families of the fallen soldiers, praising their courage. The government, he added, will always remember their sacrifice.
Tinubu vowed that their deaths would not be meaningless. He said the bravery of frontline troops has strengthened the nation’s commitment to ending terrorism and all forms of violence across Nigeria.
Onoja did not give an exact death toll from the latest base raid. However, local media reports said at least 18 people lost their lives.
The spokesman said the assault proves how desperate the terrorists have become, especially after suffering heavy defeats in recent military operations. He described their attacks as futile and doomed to fail. He regretted that some “brave and gallant soldiers” paid the ultimate price while doing their duty.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, faces a complicated security emergency. The worst violence occurs in the north, where an insurgency has dragged on for more than ten years. Several armed groups also operate there, kidnapping people for ransom.
The most well-known militant factions are Boko Haram and a splinter group linked to the Islamic State, called Islamic State West Africa Province. Another IS-linked group, Lakurawa, is active in communities near the border with Niger Republic.
The crisis has grown worse recently. Other militants from the Sahel region have joined the fight. One of them, known as JNIM, carried out its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.
US Military Support
Earlier this year, the United States deployed 200 troops and drones to Nigeria to help fight extremists. The US military said American forces would not engage in combat or take direct operational roles. Nigerian commanders would keep full control.
The deployment followed a security agreement reached after President Donald Trump claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria’s crisis. On December 26, the US launched strikes against Islamic State fighters.
United Nations data shows several thousand Nigerians have been killed. Analysts say the government is not doing enough to protect its citizens.
On Wednesday, the US State Department announced it was allowing non-emergency government staff to leave Abuja, citing “the deteriorating security situation.”
