Nigerian Airstrikes Deal Heavy Blow to Insurgents in Borno, Kill Dozens
Nigeria’s military has intensified its aerial campaign against insurgent groups in the country’s northeast, killing more than 40 militants and destroying multiple watercraft during precision airstrikes in Borno State, the armed forces announced on Sunday.
The Nigerian Air Force said the operations, carried out between January 15 and 16, targeted insurgents assembling for coordinated attacks in the Musarram and Azir communities, both located near the volatile Lake Chad region. Intelligence reports indicated that the fighters were mobilising using canoes, a tactic frequently employed by militant groups to navigate the area’s waterways and launch surprise assaults on civilian settlements and military positions.
According to Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame, surveillance assets detected a large concentration of militants in Musarram on Thursday as they prepared to cross Lake Chad to attack Baga town and surrounding fishing communities. Acting swiftly, fighter jets conducted three successive bombing runs, destroying approximately ten canoes and dispersing the militants. “As the terrorists attempted to flee into nearby vegetation, they were tracked and neutralised,” Ejodame said, adding that the strikes effectively dismantled the group and prevented the planned attack.
Local officials and ground troops later confirmed that the airstrikes successfully foiled what could have been a major assault on the strategically important Baga axis, an area that has repeatedly come under attack in recent years.
A day later, Nigerian aircraft provided close air support in Azir, where militants retreating from an earlier clash with ground forces had regrouped under tree cover. The airstrikes targeted their positions, killing several fighters and restoring calm to the area, the military said.
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Borno State remains the epicentre of Nigeria’s 17-year Islamist insurgency, led primarily by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). In recent weeks, both groups have escalated attacks on military convoys, local communities, and economic assets around Lake Chad.
The military said the latest operations underscore its renewed determination to deny insurgents safe havens, disrupt their mobility, and protect civilian populations in the northeast.
“These strikes demonstrate the Nigerian Air Force’s sustained commitment to degrading terrorist networks and preventing attacks before they occur,” Ejodame said.
Security analysts say continued pressure from air and ground forces will be crucial in weakening the operational capacity of insurgent groups that exploit Borno’s difficult terrain and porous borders to stage cross-border raids.
