No fewer than 50 insurgents have been killed following a violent confrontation between rival terrorist factions — Boko Haram (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) — in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources confirmed to counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, that the deadly clash occurred around 3 p.m. on Sunday in Toumbun Gini, an island community in the Lake Chad region.
According to the sources, ISWAP fighters launched an assault using 10 heavily armed boats in an attempt to retake the island, which had recently fallen under the control of the Boko Haram (JAS) faction.
However, intelligence reports indicated that JAS militants had been alerted about the planned attack and laid an ambush.
“At exactly 1500 hours, ISWAP boats landed, but what was meant to be a surprise offensive quickly turned into a deadly trap. JAS fighters overpowered them within minutes, leaving ISWAP severely decimated,” a security source disclosed.
More than 50 ISWAP fighters were reportedly killed during the confrontation, while seven boats belonging to the group were seized. Three other boats managed to escape with casualties.
Videos said to show the aftermath of the battle circulated on social media platforms late Sunday.
Zagazola Makama described the incident as the fifth consecutive day of hostilities between the two rival groups, both of which are battling for territorial control and access to resources in the Lake Chad basin.
He warned that the renewed fighting could trigger fresh displacements and pose security risks for communities around Kukawa, Monguno, and Marte, as surviving fighters might attempt to flee toward mainland areas.
“The ongoing infighting has weakened both groups’ capacity to carry out large-scale attacks but has also created smaller, unpredictable cells that are more difficult to track,” Zagazola explained.
“What is happening on Lake Chad today is a conflict within a conflict, and Nigerian troops remain in the middle of the battlefield. This is the best time for the military to tighten control of the corridor and deny both factions space to regroup,” he added.
The Nigerian military has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
