An al-Qaeda-linked militant faction active across the Sahel has claimed responsibility for its first-ever attack in Nigeria, reporting that it killed a soldier during the assault.
In a video posted on its Telegram channel late Thursday, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said its fighters ambushed Nigerian troops in Kwara State in the early hours of Wednesday, killing one soldier and seizing ammunition and cash.
A Nigerian military source confirmed to Reuters that soldiers on patrol were attacked by JNIM fighters, resulting in a fatality.
The Nigerian Army has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate formed in 2017, operates across the Sahel region and is one of several jihadist groups seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate while expelling Western-backed governments.
The group’s operations began in Mali before spreading into Burkina Faso and Niger, and in recent years, it has extended attacks into northern Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Togo.
Earlier this year, JNIM imposed a blockade on fuel imports into Mali, crippling transportation and forcing schools and universities to close.
In May, its fighters killed about 200 soldiers in an assault on the Burkinabe town of Djibo, following a similar massacre of civilians in Barsalogho last year.
The group’s reported entry into Nigeria adds a new layer of insecurity for President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which is already contending with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgencies that have devastated the country’s northeast.
Years of conflict in the region have left tens of thousands dead and displaced over two million people.
Tinubu recently appointed new service chiefs in what he described as a “comprehensive restructuring” of Nigeria’s military leadership to strengthen national security.
“We must not allow these new threats to fester. We must be decisive and proactive. Let us smash the new snakes right at the head,” Tinubu had said.
On Wednesday, the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waidi Shaibu, vowed to crush the emerging terrorist group known as Lakurawa, which has been terrorising communities across the northern region.
Shaibu had made the declaration during his screening before the Nigerian Senate in Abuja.
Recounting his military background and operational experience, Shaibu told lawmakers that he had played a leading role in counterinsurgency operations during his tenure as a commanding officer in Borno State, one of the epicentres of Boko Haram’s insurgency.
“We defeated Boko Haram insurgents in 2015 and a significant number of terrorists surrendered during my tenure,” the Army Chief said.
“We leveraged technology to improve operations, and for the past five years, I have been deeply involved in missions that led to the decimation of many terrorist elements,” he added.
Shaibu pledged that under his command, the Nigerian Army would adopt a more strategic and people-centered approach to internal security, while also focusing on personnel welfare and career advancement.
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