Dozens of soldiers, militants and civilians have been killed in separate attacks across northern Nigeria, highlighting worsening security challenges ahead of elections expected early next year.
In northeastern Borno State, Nigerian troops said they killed more than 25 militants linked to Islamic State after repelling a coordinated assault on a military position near Lake Chad.
The military said fighters attacked troops from the 101 Special Forces Battalion in Kukawa from four directions on Tuesday night before being driven back with air support.
“Preliminary assessment indicates that over 25 terrorists were neutralised, with 14 bodies recovered so far,” Captain Mohammed Goni, acting military information officer for Operation Hadin Kai, said.
Troops also recovered six AK-47 rifles and ammunition, according to the military.
Military sources said soldiers were also killed during the fighting but did not provide a confirmed figure. A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, which supports military operations in the region, said more than three of its members were killed.
The attack comes as Nigerian forces continue operations against Boko Haram and its Islamic State-aligned offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, which remain active across parts of the northeast.
Separately, a far deadlier series of attacks was reported in northwestern Zamfara State.
Witnesses and a military source said heavily armed gunmen riding motorcycles attacked a military camp in Bindin, in Maru local government area, on October 5, killing at least 25 soldiers.
A local resident said he counted the bodies of 25 soldiers, while a military source involved in reinforcing the area later said he had seen the same number of bodies.
The attackers allegedly looted the military base after overrunning the troops.
The gunmen later attacked a nearby gold-mining site where around 1,000 artisanal miners were working, according to residents.
A village leader and relatives of victims said at least 100 miners were killed in the assault.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the casualty figures. The Nigerian military and Zamfara State government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nigeria has struggled for years with overlapping security crises, including Islamist insurgencies in the northeast and armed banditry, kidnappings and increasingly organised militant activity across the northwest.
The continued violence is expected to become a major political issue as Nigeria prepares for national elections in 2027.
