Soldiers Detail Borno Base Attack That Killed General

Surviving soldiers have given new accounts of how scores of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters overran a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State, in a well-coordinated midnight assault that left the commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, dead.

The insurgents, who struck around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, advanced in large numbers from multiple directions simultaneously, attacking at least three military formations before pushing into civilian areas along the strategic Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, according to soldiers who survived the attack.

“We are used to coordinated attacks, but this was different,” one soldier told PUNCH, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“They came in large numbers from different directions at the same time. It felt like they had studied our positions for weeks.”

Another survivor admitted that the attackers’ numerical superiority proved decisive.

“We stood our ground at first, but they were too many,” he said. “They attacked from different angles. It was like an ambush.”

According to the soldiers, troop morale began to collapse as word spread that other military locations had already fallen.

“When we started hearing that our colleagues in other locations had been overrun, it shook us,” one soldier recounted.

“Then someone shouted that the Brigade Commander was dead. That was when fear fully set in.”

The confusion and psychological impact of the assault, sources said, triggered a breakdown in coordination among troops, forcing some to retreat toward the town.

The gun battle reportedly lasted over one hour and 30 minutes, with multiple explosions sending both military personnel and civilians fleeing for safety.

Some troops were said to have retreated into the town, creating a temporary security gap that allowed insurgents to loot military facilities and destroy property.

Residents described scenes of panic as the violence spilt into civilian areas.

“We heard loud explosions and continuous gunshots. It was terrifying. People were running in all directions. Even soldiers ran into the town for cover,” said Mustapha Abu, a local resident.

He added that shops, vehicles, and roadside properties were set ablaze, while stranded travellers abandoned their vehicles and fled.

“Many of them came to town, and they stayed with us, offering protection and directing our movements. I think that space gave the terrorists enough time to burn the facilities and loot available military resources. When I got to the camp after the attack, it was an eyesore.

“Shops and vehicles close to the major roads belonging to civilians were set ablaze. Travellers who were resting in the community near the Bensheikh secretariat due to the routine closure of the Maiduguri–Damaturu road in the evening were also affected, as both drivers and passengers abandoned their vehicles and fled for safety.”

Conflicting accounts have also emerged over the circumstances of Brigadier General Braimah’s death. Initial claims suggested his Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle malfunctioned during the attack.

However, military sources disputed this, saying the vehicle was set on fire by insurgents amid intense fighting.

“The insurgents actually set the MRAP on fire during the attack. Saying he died because the vehicle didn’t start is not accurate. The situation was far more complex,” a senior source within the brigade said.

Another insider noted that many of those closest to the commander at the time were killed, making a definitive account difficult.

“I am aware that the insurgents closed in from various angles at the same time. It was like an ambush plan. But when the gun battle became intense, the terrorist formation scattered. What helped them was their numbers; there were too many of them,” the source added.

The Nigerian Army, through Operation Hadin Kai, maintained that the attack was successfully repelled.

In a statement, spokesperson Lt.-Col. Sani Uba said only four personnel, two officers and two soldiers, were killed, dismissing higher casualty figures as false and misleading.

Uba said, “The official and verified report, as earlier released through Defence Headquarters, clearly stated that two officers and two soldiers paid the supreme price in the course of the engagement. Any contrary figure being circulated is entirely false, misleading, and devoid of credibility.”

He also rejected claims of equipment failure, stating that the commander’s MRAP was only temporarily immobilised during combat.

“The commander was mounted on a high-grade Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, which was temporarily immobilised in the heat of combat while he was actively coordinating the counter-assault,” he noted.

But soldiers who survived the attack offered a more complex picture of the general’s final moments, noting that the insurgents had closed in from multiple angles simultaneously.

“I am aware that the insurgents closed in from various angles at the same time,” one source within the formation said.

“It was like an ambush plan. But when the gun battle became intense, the terrorist formation scattered. What helped them was their numbers; there were too many of them.”

The insider added that only those who were with the general at the exact moment of the attack could provide a definitive account, noting that many of them also died in the encounter.

A highly placed source within the brigade disputed claims of equipment failure, saying the MRAP was actually set on fire by insurgents during the attack.

“The insurgents actually set the MRAP on fire during the attack. Saying he died because the vehicle didn’t start is not accurate. The situation was far more complex,” the source said.

Braimah’s former driver, who identified himself as Blacky, rejected any suggestion that poor vehicle maintenance contributed to the general’s death.

“If you talk about maintenance, General Braimah doesn’t play with repairs,” he said. “Ask anyone under the 29 Task Force.”